THE  GIFT  OF 

FLORENCE  V.  V.  DICKEY 

TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


THE  DONALD  R.  DICKEY 

LIBRARY 
OF  VERTEBRATE  ZOOLOGY 


Front—"  Wild  Life  in  Canada" 


WILD  LIFE  IN  CANADA 


WINTER   ON   THE   TRAIL. 


SUMMER   OX   TUB   TRAIL. 


[Frontispiece 


WILD   LIFE   IN 
CANADA 


BY  CAPTAIN  ANGUS  BUCHANAN,  M.C. 

AUTHOR  OF  "THREE  YEARS  OF  WAR  IN  EAST  AFRICA" 


WITH   NUMEROUS   PHOTOGRAPHS   BY   THE   AUTHOR 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 

1920 


TO 

D.  F.  B. 

A  GREAT  LOVER  OF  NATURE  AND 
EVERY  ASPECT  OF  THE  CLEAN 
BROAD  OUTDOOR  WORLD  IN  FAIR 
WEATHER  OR  FOUL,  AND  WHO  KEPT 
FRESH  IN  ME  EVEN  UNTO  MANHOOD 
THE  EVER-EAGER  DELIGHTS  OF  BOY- 
HOOD IN  ALL  LIVING  WILD  THINGS 


PREFACE 

CANADA,  in  a  great  belt  that  runs  from  sea  to 

sea,  across  the  southern  territory  of  her  dominion, 

is  the  civilised,  rapidly  growing  country  which 

we  all  know  to-day.     Therein,  in  out-of-the-way 

places  where  mankind  pass  not  too  often,  there 

are  still  quantities  of  big  game  and  fur-bearing 

animals  and  wild-fowl  to  delight  the  lover   of 

nature  and  solitude.     But  it  is  not  of  such  places 

that  I  write  in  this  narrative — not  of  the  outdoor 

places  that  are  within  reach  of  those  who  inhabit 

the   populated   south    country  of  Canada ;    for 

the    wanderings    which    it   has    been    my   good 

fortune  to  experience,  and  which  henceforth  I 

will  endeavour  to  describe,  were  through  a  part 

of  the  great  unpeopled  North,  which  even  to-day 

comprises  more  than  half  of  the  large  Dominion 

of  Canada.     So  great  is  the  far  north  territory 

that  there  is  many  a  hundred  miles  on  which 

no  white  man  has  yet  set  foot,  and  even  where 

the  white  man  has  been,  in  the  distant  interior 

near  to  the  Barren  Lands,  in  many  cases  the 

footprints  have  been  so  few  that  an  old  Indian 

inhabitant  of  a  district  could  easily  count  those 

who  had  passed  in  a  lifetime  on  his  ten  fingers. 

Though  I  travelled  785  miles  over  ice  and  snow 

by  dog-sled,   and  1,044   miles  over  water  in  a 

single  canoe,  I  lay  no  claim  to  having  done  a 


xii  PREFACE 

great  thing,  for  in  face  of  the  rigorous,  bound- 
less North  a  single  man's  effort  must  ever  seem 
small. 

Again  and  again  I  might  go  back  to  the 
solitude  of  the  Great  North — and  perhaps  I 
will — but  I  know  full  well  I  will  always  deem 
the  hours  of  a  lifetime  all  too  short  to  accomplish 
half  that  I  would  wish  in  that  overwhelming 
vastness  that  reminds  me,  with  a  sternly  inti- 
midating dominance,  that  I  am  but  a  tiny, 
passing  atom,  active  for  the  moment,  but  woefully 
impotent  before  the  timeless  reign  of  the  brood- 
ing wilderness. 

Yet,  piece  by  piece,  the  character  of  a  new 
land  is  revealed,  not  by  the  endeavour  of  one 
man  or  one  generation,  but  at  the  instance  of 
many,  and  so  if  the  long  trails  I  have  made 
seem  little  in  proportion  to  the  limitless  extent 
that  lay  before  me,  I  still  trust  that  my  investi- 
gation of  a  country  lying  between  the  Sas- 
katchewan River  and  the  Arctic  Barren  Grounds, 
and  between  longitudes  101°  and  108°,  may  add 
in  some  measure  to  man's  knowledge  of  that 
territory,  whether  the  reader  of  this  narrative 
be  layman  with  a  love  of  nature,  or  naturalist 
who  finds  delight  in  following  the  endeavours 
of  an  associate. 

In  a  scientific  article  recently  prepared  for 
publication  by  J.  H.  Fleming,  C.M.Z.S., 
C.M.B.O.U.,  a  notable  Canadian  ornithologist, 
dealing  with  the  bird  life  which  I  collected  on 
this  expedition,  the  writer  says  : 

"  Almost  the  first  knowledge  we  have  of  the 
ornithology  of  the  Saskatchewan  region  is  con- 


PREFACE  xiii 

tained  in  a  series  of  papers  published  in  the  Ibis 
of  1861-62-63,.  by  Capt.  Blakiston,  who  spent 
the  winter  of  1857-58  at  Fort  Carlton  on  the 
Saskatchewan  River,  and  in  1858   collected  at 
various  points  in  what  is  now  the  Province  of 
Saskatchewan.     In  these  papers  Capt.  Blakiston 
incorporated  much  information  from  Vol.  II  of 
the  Fauna  Boreali-Americana  of  Richardson  and 
Swainson,  and  other  published  sources  of  infor- 
mation.    Since  then  our  knowledge  of  the  birds 
of  Southern  Saskatchewan  has  been  considerably 
enlarged,  but  strangely  enough  the  ornithology 
of  the   great   region   drained   by   the   Churchill 
River,  and  lying  to  the  north  of  what  was,  till 
1912,  the  northern  boundary   of  the   province, 
has  had  little  or  no  attention  paid  to  it.    Notes 
on  the  birds  were  made  by  James  M.  Macoun, 
who  in  1888  travelled  from  Lesser  Slave  Lake 
east   by   way   of  the   Athabasca   and   Churchill 
Rivers   to   Lake  l  Winnipeg ;     these    notes    were 
eventually   published   by   John   Macoun   in   his 
Catalogue  of  Canadian  Birds.    Less  than  a  dozen 
birds  are  in  the  United  States  National  Museum, 
collected    at    Du    Brochet    Lake    in    1890    and 
Pelican  Narrows  on  the  Churchill  River  in  1891  ; 
probably  collected  by  Henry  MacKay  and  Joseph 
Hourston,  for  Roderick  MacFarlane.    These  are 
the  only  skins  I  have  seen  from  the  region  taken 
previous  to  1914.     During  the  years  1892-93-94, 
J.  Burr  Tyrrell,  in  the  course  of  his  explorations 
of  the  Barren  Grounds,  more  than  once  traversed 
the  Churchill  River  and  his  official  reports  l  con- 

1  Annual  Report  Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  viii.  (new  series), 
Part  D,  pp.  5o  to  120D,  Ottawa,  1896  ;  ibid.  ix.  1896,  Part  F 
(1897). 


xiv  PREFACE 

tain  the  best  description  we  have  of  this  region ; 
in  these  reports  there  are  short  references  to 
birds.  When  Edward  A.  Preble  wrote  his  great 
report  on  the  natural  history  of  the  Athabasca- 
Mackenzie  Region l  he  included  all  that  was 
known  of  the  birds  of  the  Churchill  River  up 
to  1908. 

"  When  the  boundaries  of  Saskatchewan  were 
in  1912  extended  north  to  include  a  part  of  the 
old  North- West  Territory,  so  little  was  known  by 
the  Provincial  Government  of  the  natural  history 
of  the  northern  part  of  the  country  that  Angus 
Buchanan  determined  to  investigate  the  country 
lying  between  the  Saskatchewan  River  and  the 
Barren  Grounds.  He  left  Prince  Albert  on 
May  6,  1914,  and  descended  the  Beaver  River 
to  Lake  tie  a  la  Crosse,  and  the  Churchill  River, 
thence  continuing  upstream  on  Reindeer  River 
and  Reindeer  Lake,  entering  the  Cochrane  River 
on  July  18,  and  Lake  Du  Brochet  on  August  1. 
His  base  camp  was  made  north  of  this  lake, 
and  here  he  proposed  to  winter,  but  hearing  of 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  late  October  he 
decided  to  return  to  the  South,  and  reached 
Regina  on  January  15,  1915,  after  an  absence  of 
eight  and  a  half  months,  during  which  he  travelled 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  by  canoe  and  dog- 
sleigh.  The  birds  collected  during  this  expedi- 
tion were  divided ;  part  were  deposited  in  the 
Provincial  Museum  at  Regina,  and  the  rest  were 
handed  over  to  me ;  they  form  a  very  important 

1  A  Biological  Investigation  of  the  Athabasca- Mackenzie  Region. 
North  American  Fauna,  No.  27.  Bureau  of  Biological  Survey, 
Washington,  1908. 


PREFACE  xv 

addition  to  our  knowledge  of  the  birds  of  the 
region  drained  by  the  Churchill  River,  and  are 
in  fact  the  first  collection  made  in  far  Northern 
Saskatchewan." 

It  may  seem  odd  to  the  reader  that  I  make 
record  at  this  date  of  an  expedition  undertaken 
in  the  year  1914,  yet  this  may  be  easily  explained, 
and,  I  hope,  the  delay  forgiven,  as  such  a  cir- 
cumstance is  entirely  due  to  the  exigencies  of 
the  Great  War,  during  which  it  was  every  able 
man's  duty  to  abandon  civil  occupation  and 
take  up  arms  in  defence  of  home  and  country, 
even  though  such  action  would  rudely  shake, 
and  perhaps  break,  the  foundation  of  almost 
any  career.  On  receiving  my  release  from  the 
Army  I  have  made  haste  to  return  to  the  full 
pages  of  my  diary  of  1914  and  to  labour  to  record 
my  experiences  of  that  time  in  the  hope  that 
they  might  be  in  some  measure  instructive  to 
those  setting  forth  on  like  adventure,  and  to 
those  who  take  an  interest  in  wild  life  of  any  kind. 
Moreover,  whatever  I  experienced  in  1914  of  the 
country  I  then  travelled  through  still  retains 
the  native  novelty,  for  had  other  footsteps  fol- 
lowed mine  I  would  have  been  told  so  by  the 
Government  authorities  with  whom  I  remain  in 
correspondence.  So,  through  the  years  of  war 
that  have  passed,  the  North  remains  the  silent, 
unbounded  solitude  that  my  canoe  and  dog- 
sled  intruded  on  for  a  brief  space  ;  since  then  no 
like  expedition  has  passed  along  that  pathless 
route. 

Every  traveller  appreciates  or  depreciates  his 
reception  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  he 


xvi  PREFACE 

travels  through,  and,  in  this  instance  I  owed 
much  to  the  good  services  of  the  Saskatchewan 
Provincial  Government,  who  loyally  supported 
the  expedition  at  the  start ;  to  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  whose  factors  were  ever  ready  to 
assist  and  advise  me  in  every  way  they  could ; 
and  lastly,  though  I  say  it  of  people  who  cannot 
read  and  know  my  appreciation,  to  the  Cree  and 
Chipewyan  Indians,  who  proved  quaintly  friendly 
and  unselfish  in  their  hospitality,  and  resourceful, 
magnificent  fellow-travellers  on  the  trail  on  the 
few  occasions  that  I  came  among  them,  and 
when  one  or  more  aided  me  when  trailing  by 
dog-train  over  ice  and  snow.  To  all  I  owe  the 
thanks  and  gratitude  of  a  traveller  safely  re- 
turned from  a  hazardous  quest  who  enjoys 
pleasant  reminiscences  of  the  weather-beaten, 
kindly  faces  of  worthy  outdoor  people,  and  still 
recalls  their  strong  handshake  of  genuine  com- 
radeship that  on  many  a  hard  trail  welcomed  me 
in,  or  pointed  the  way  forth  with  well-wishing. 


CONTENTS 
CHAPTER  I 

IN   A   FRONTIER   SETTLEMENT 
The  poor  rich — The  new-comer — The  police — Joe  Ryan  .     pp.  1-10 

CHAPTER  II 

/ 

OUT  TO   LAKE   1LE  A   LA   CROSSE 

Outfit — How  to  pack — Launching  canoe — Forcing  way  through  ice — 
Entering  Beaver  River — Early  nesting  birds — Meeting  with  Red-skins 
— Photographing  nests — On  Beaver  River — Trapping  mammals 

pp.  11-32 

\          CHAPTER  III 

SEEKING   THE   SANDHILL   CRANE 

Groping  in  the  forest — Discovering  sandhill  cranes — South-west  gale 
bursts — Sandhill  crane's  nest  found — Our  culminating  disappointment 

pp. 33-34 
2  xvii 


xviii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IV 

ON   THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL   RIVER 

Length  of  Churchill  River — Shagwenaw  Lake — Pelican  Rapids — 
Pelican  Lake — Bald  eagle's  nest — Mosquito  pests — Many  birds  observed 
— An  Indian  settlement — Snake  Lake — Sandfly  Lake — Scouting  alone : 
Indians'  appreciation — Black  Bear  Island  Lake — A  stiff  storm — Great 
Devil  Rapids — Pike  stolen  by  bear — From  Rock  Lake  to  Stanley — 
A  surprise  welcome — Stanley  Mission  Post — Description  of  church — 
Rapid  River  Lake — Possibilities  of  country — Mink  captures  large  eel — 
Rapids  on  River pp.  44-91 

CHAPTER  V 

REINDEER   LAKE   AND   FORT   DU   BROCKET 

Beauty  of  Reindeer  Lake — Fort  du  Brochet — Lake  teems  with  fish — 
The  Lake  Trout — Fish  in  Reindeer  Lake — The  Indians'  deep-shadowed 
land pp.  92-103 

CHAPTER  VI 

THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

Winter  haunt  of  caribou — The  last  of  the  roving  big  game — Search 
for  caribou  fails — Building  log  cabin — The  freeze-up — With  Indian 
hunting  party — Crossing  open  water — Hunting  alone — Wading  through 
ice-water — Attack  by  wounded  caribou — Carrying  pack-load — The 
soundless  land — Caribou  in  migration — The  Chipewyan  decreasing — 
Shooting  caribou — Snaring  caribou — Meat  needed  for  men  and  dogs — 
Caribou  hides  and  their  use — Start  for  caribou  ground — Decoying  cari- 
bou— Photographing  caribou — Camera  fails  to  work — A  strange  dream 
— Cold  spoils  camera  work  ......  pp.  104-161 

CHAPTER  VII 

SLED-DOGS    OF   THE   NORTH   TRAILS 

Sled-dog  population — Cunning  of  sled-dogs — Dogs  of  Fort  du 
Brochet — Dogs  watch  canoes  return — Breaking  in  sled-dogs — Netting 
winter's  fish  supply — Trailing  over  ice  and  snow — The  power  of  the 
North — Halting  between  camps — Making  night  camp  .  pp.  162-172 


CONTENTS  xix 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    TEAPPER 

• 

An  Indian  cabin — The  dead  of  winter — Gullfoot's  dog-team — 
Digging  out  young  foxes — Fox  pelts  and  their  value — Variety  of  colour 
in  foxes — Area  of  trap  setting — How  traps  are  set — Return  to  Indian 
cabin pp.  173-191 


CHAPTER  IX 

LEAVING   THE   LONE   LAND 

Dogs  give  out — Start  on  return  journey — Friendship  of  natives — 
Creatures  of  the  wild — Finger  frost  bitten — Entertained  by  Cree 
Indians — Nearing  Pelican  Narrows — Indian  guides  go  home — Approach- 
ing civilisation — Amusing  incidents — End  of  the  long  trail  pp.  1 92-2 1 3 

CHAPTER  X 

ANIMALS    AND    BIRDS    COLLECTED    AND    OBSERVED 

pp   214-264 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

WINTER  ON  THE  TRAIL  ....  Frontispiece 
SUMMER  ON  THE  TRAIL  ....  „ 

FACIKQ  PACE 

THE  WORLD  OF  THE  NORTH  .....  4 

TYPICAL  SLED-DOGS 4 

NESTLING  GREAT  HORNED  OWL  ....  26 

LESSER  YELLOW-LEGS 26 

THE  SANDHILL  CRANE    ......       84 

NEST  AND  EGGS  OF  BLACK  TERN    ....       86 

NEST  AND  EGGS  OF  COMMON  TERN  ...  36 
GATEWAYS  OF  MAGNIFICENT  RIVER  BETWEEN  THE 

LAKE  EXPANSIONS 44 

A  RAPID 44 

A  BALD  EAGLE'S  EYRIE 56 

BUTTERFLIES  ON  MOIST  SHORE  SAND  OF  REINDEER 

LAKE 94 

THE  LANDING  AT  FORT  DU  BROCKET  ...  94 

MY  LOG  CABIN 110 

ESKIMOS 110 

A  MALE  CARIBOU  IN  CAPTIVITY  IN  LONDON  .  .118 
CARIBOU  RESTING  ON  A  FROZEN  LAKE  .  .  .  132 
CARIBOU  TRAVELLING  IN  TYPICAL  INDIAN  FILE  .  182 

HUSKY  DOG 156 

PURE  HUSKY  FEMALE 156 

EXPECTANT,  EVER-HUNGRY  DOGS  .  .  .  .158 
DOGS  INTERESTED  IN  THE  MORNING  CATCH  OF  FISH  .  158 
TIMBER  STAGE  ON  WHICH  is  HUNG  THE  AUTUMN  CATCH 

OF  FISH  FOR  DOG-FOOD  .  .  .  .  .162 
PURE  TIMBER  WOLF  FEMALE  :  IN  CAPTIVITY,  TO 

IMPROVE  BREED  OF  SLED-DOGS  .  .  .  .162 

LISTENING  ATTITUDES 182 

Is  ALL  CLEAR  ? 182 

DOGS  RESTING  SOUTH  OF  THEITAGA  LAKE  :  TRAILING 

FROM  THE  BARREN  GROUNDS  .         .         .192 


WILD  LIFE  IN  CANADA 

CHAPTER   I 

IN   A   FRONTIER   SETTLEMENT 

THE  railroad  terminates  at  the  crest  of  a  stiff 
incline  a  mile  short  of  the  head-waters  of  Crooked 
Lake.  The  rural  train,  which  travels  the  roughly- 
laid  single  line  on  alternate  days,  completes  the 
monotonous,  uneven  journey  with  a  final  struggle 
up-grade,  between  lines  of  coniferous  forest,  and 
comes  to  a  cautious  standstill,  emitting  deep- 
throated  blasts  of  rebellious  protest,  in  a  narrow 
clearing  at  the  lower  edge  of  the  small  frontier 
town  of  Big  River. 

Straggling,  train-tired  passengers  are  told 
gruffly  that  this  is  the  End  of  the  Line. 

One  enters  the  settlement — that  is,  one  des- 
cends from  the  train  and  traverses  the  total 
two  hundred  yards  of  main  thoroughfare — and  at 
once,  and  thereafter  is  struck  by  the  conflicting 
types  of  men  and  habitations. 

Here  civilisation  ends  and  the  wilds  begin. 
So  far  has  engineering  and  enterprise  progressed  ; 
thenceforward  lie  the  untouched  lands  of  the 
limitless  North.  Here  commingle  the  old  spirit 
of  the  untamed  wild  and  the  new  spirit  of  civil- 
isation. There  are  grim  men  from  the  woods 

i 


2  IN  A  FRONTIER  SETTLEMENT 

and  the  trail,  English-speaking,  French,  Galicians, 
Halfbreeds,  Indians,  rough-clad,  stalwart,  un- 
trammelled, who  talk  in  slow-spoken  speech 
with  fearless  bearing,  while  about  their  feet 
move  their  company  of  dogs — restless,  prowling, 
hungry  brutes ;  neglected  summer  pensioners, 
but,  in  winter,  the  pride  of  their  masters — the 
indomitable  sled-dog.  They  are  men  and  beast 
of  their  surroundings ;  hard-fighters  who  wrest 
a  stern  living  from  virgin  forest  and  stream,  and 
who  ask  no  greater  reward  than  to  retain  their 
boundless  freedom. 

To  the  men  their  freedom  is  their  all.  They 
cannot  tell  you  why,  again  and  again  they  seek 
the  North ;  yet  they  cannot  leave  it.  A  mood 
of  discontent,  or  a  vivid  picture  of  everlasting 
pleasure  which  they  paint  in  imagination,  sends 
most  of  them,  at  some  time  or  other,  to  seek 
"  civilisation,"  saying,  "  I  will  live  as  other 
people  do."  But  they  seldom,  if  ever,  keep 
their  resolve.  They  are  out  on  the  North  trail 
just  as  soon  as  the  primitive  wildness,  which 
is  in  them  as  it  is  in  wild  animals,  awakes  anew 
and  bids  them  seek  again  the  quiet  places.  Such 
men  are  the  vanguard — the  unstarred  leaders  of 
advancing  immigration  that,  as  the  rising  tide 
on  the  seashore,  ever  overlaps  the  old  mark,  and 
escapes  onward,  ever  onward,  to  populate  the 
surface  of  a  vast  new  country. 

Less  prominent,  far  less  striking,  in  this  village 
of  the  parting  of  the  ways,  are  the  people  of  the 
New  World — mill  clerks,  and  trading  store- 
keepers, and  their  assistants ;  and  their  two- 
score  wives  and  daughters.  All  somewhat  dim- 


THE  POOR  RICH  8 

inutive  against  the  strong  contrast  of  frontier 
manhood  ;  somewhat  unworthy — even  trivial. 
Each  holding  dearly  to  business,  to  the  guiling 
dress  of  the  shop  counter,  and  the  much  frayed 
ribbons  of  a  gaudy,  doubtful  society. 

These  are  the  interlopers,  the  people  from  the 
South ;  the  harbingers  of  civilisation,  who  have 
come,  with  their  dollars  and  their  trash,  to  dis- 
turb the  beauty  and  peace  of  virgin  nature. 
And  those  are  the  people  who  speak,  with  pride, 
of  the  Town-site  ;  who  proclaim  the  magnificence 
of  a  meagre  street  or  two,  of  meretricious  frame- 
built  houses  in  narrow  land  plots ;  and  who 
point  to  the  importance  of  a  lumber  mill  and  a 
gaunt,  top-heavy  Boarding  House  as  if,  on  that 
guarantee,  the  future  of  Big  River  were  assured, 
and  their  fortunes. 

They  forget  too  easily,  in  their  vanity,  that  it 
is  not  to  those  things  that  they  owe  their  pros- 
perity, but  to  the  wonderful  richness  of  the  nature 
around  them.  And  theirs  is  a  circumstance  that 
always  fills  me  with  a  certain  amount  of  sadness. 
They  may  be  rich  in  a  worldly  way,  but  how 
poor  they  are  of  intellectual  enthusiasm — at  their 
feet  lies  the  broad,  beautiful  world,  yet  must 
they  trample  it  under  with  eyes  only  for  the  god 
of  Gold,  and  Power,  and  Pleasure.  .  .  .  Ah !  well — 
it  is  their  life  ;  small  perhaps,  perhaps  somewhat 
narrow,  but  they  know  no  other.  They  are 
part  of  the  great  scheme  of  things  ;  impelled  by 
heritage  and  circumstance  to  follow  a  well- 
trodden  channel,  and  counselled  by  a  strong 
commercial  instinct  to  launch  out  into  activity 
and  endeavour,  though,  in  life's  short  pilgrimage, 


4  IN  A  FRONTIER  SETTLEMENT 

they  may  destroy  the  rich  growth  of  centuries 
in  building  up  the  ardent  ambitions  of  the  hour. 

But  the  greater  things,  the  things  which  are 
neither  little  nor  personal  to  any  man,  the 
phantom  forces  which  are  behind  the  Universe — 
the  forces  which  ordain  .mankind  to  life,  to  an 
existence,  and  to  death — as  fish,  or  fowl,  or  fly, 
is  ordered — those  are  the  forces  which  are  the 
soul  of  the  North.  And  it  is  a  soul  which 
whispers  that  the  land  and  water  and  sky  of 
nature's  universe  will  grow  and  nourish  and  still 
be  beautiful  while  race  after  race  of  mankind 
rise  up,  halt  a  little,  and  pass  away. 

To  anyone  who  valued,  with  the  fresh  outlook 
of  a  stranger,  the  intensity  of  first  impressions, 
the  world  of  the  North  showed  calm  and  of 
fathomless  beauty  and  mystery,  and  dominated 
all;  yea,  even  the  foreground  of  humanity.  It 
was  all-powerful,  this  vastness  of  eternity,  yet 
all  forgiving ;  and  one  was  constrained  to 
murmur  : 

So  great  this  beautiful  earth, 

So  little  our  earthly  being, 

So  let  us  pass  ;   each  in  our  own  way. 

It  was  in  this  vein,  then,  that  I  mused  of  the 
Frontier,  and  Beyond,  on  early  acquaintance. 

Time  had  passed  since  the  evening  of  my 
arrival.  I  had  been  two  days  in  Big  River — two 
long  days  of  delightful,  ruminating  freedom 
amongst  the  older  bushmen  of  the  place.  And 
now  it  was  the  evening  of  the  second  day. 

I  sat  at  the  only  table  occupied  in  the  great, 
bare,  paintless,  featureless,  interior  of  the  barn- 


THE    WOELD    OF   THE   NOETH. 
Limitless  uuiahabited  expanse  of  laud,  lake,  and  river. 


I 


TYPICAL   SLED-DOGS. 
Idle  summer  pensioners  ;    the  pride  of  their  masters  in  winter. 


THE  NEW-COMER  5 

like  Boarding  House  of  Big  River.  I  had 
finished  the  evening  meal — a  hungry  man's  full 
fare  of  pork  and  beans  and  potatoes,  accom- 
panied by  the  inevitable  thick-rimmed  mug  of 
hot  tea — and  looked  round  me  with  the  air  of 
one  who  is  satisfied  and  who  has  accomplished 
the  final  task  of  a  long,  pleasurable  day.  I 
knew,  in  hail-fellow-well-met  fashion,  all  but  one 
of  the  half-dozen  others  at  the  table.  There 
were  the  Engineer  and  the  Conductor,  who  had 
come  in,  an  hour  ago,  on  the  evening  train — 
Minnesota  Joe,  a  self-famed,  talkative  trapper 
from  the  States — and  Pete  Deschambault  and 
Louis  Breau,  two  French-Canadian  lumber-jacks. 

But  who  was  the  new-comer  ?  That  was  what 
I  pondered  with  a  half-hope  that  he  might  be 
an  experienced  canoe-man  such  as  I  wanted  to 
hire  for  a  long  journey.  He  was  of  middle  age 
and  uncommunicative,  this  stranger  who  sat 
among  them ;  he  ate  his  evening  meal  pre- 
occupied, and  silently.  Undoubtedly  he  came 
from  the  quiet  places  and  from  the  hard  trail. 
Was  not  his  face  furrowed  and  worn  with  ex- 
posure, was  not  his  hair  rough  and  untended — 
and  ate  he  not  wolfishly,  as  a  man  who  always 
knows  great  hunger  ? 

When  the  new-comer  and  the  two  lumber-jacks 
had  risen  from  their  meal  and  left  the  Boarding 
House,  I  addressed  the  Train-Conductor. 

44  Seen  new-comer  before,  Neal  ?  " 

44  Ya,  stranger.  Name,  Joe  Ryan.  He's  just 
in.  Been  trapping  or  lumbering  all  winter." 

44  He's  a  talkative  cuss,  Neal;  meditates  as  if 
he  were  planning  next  winter's  trap  line." 


6  IN   A   FRONTIER   SETTLEMENT 

"  Ya,  stranger,  it's  the  bushman's  way.  They 
live  not  by  what  they  say,  but  by  what  they  do. 
Words  ain't  much  use  to  them ;  my  trade's 
different." 

"  Yes,  Neal,  you've  a  persuasive  tongue,  and 
you  make  by  it.  But  is  there  any  chance  of 
this  new-comer  accepting  hire  for  a  summer  on 
the  canoe  trail  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  It's  hard  to  hire  those  men 
for  love  or  money  if  the  work  '  don't '  appeal  to 
them.  Going  far,  Stranger  ?  ' 

"  Yes.  I  leave  on  the  long  trail  north  to 
Brochet l  as  soon  as  ice  moves  in  Crooked  Lake. 
Stiff  going,  they  tell  me ;  few  in  those  parts 
have  been  right  through.  Bad  rapids  on  the 
Churchill ;  blind  '  takes  ' 2  on  all  the  lakes." 

"  Aye,  I've  heard  tell  o'  it,  Stranger,  dreary 
tales  too.  But  Joe's  your  man,  if  he  will  go. 
He's  reckoned  a  good  hand  here." 

We  parted  then — each  to  bunk  for  the  night. 

•  •  •  •  • 

Next  morning,  I  entered  into  conversation 
with  Joe  Ryan  as  we  were  standing  together  at 
the  entrance  to  the  Boarding  House  idly  enjoy- 
ing the  glorious  fresh  spring  air. 

"  Do  you  feel  it,  man  ?  "  I  exclaimed,  turning 
to  the  new-comer  with  enthusiasm.  "  This 
Earth's  awakening  !  this  full,  rich  flood,  which, 
at  the  bidding  of  the  mellow  wind,  trembles  in 
every  timbre  of  the  forest.  The  sleep  of  the 
snows  is  over.  Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

1  Far  North  Hudson  Bay  Fort  on  north  end  of  Reindeer  Lake. 

1  Blind  "  takes  " — the  heads  of  rivers  where  the  lake  waters 
find  outlet,  often  concealed  behind  forested  points,  or  some- 
where in  a  score  or  two  of  bays. 


THE  POLICE  7 

"  Ya,  Stranger,"  he  answered.  "  The  iron 
hand  is  raised,  our  stripping  of  the  forest  is  done, 
the  river  and  the  mill  can  do  the  rest." 

"  Ah  !     Been  in  the  woods,  Ryan  ?  J: 

"  Ya." 

"  Quit  now  ?  " 

"  Ya." 

"  Know  something  about  canoe  and  river 
work  ?  " 

"  Well — I  guess  so,  Stranger,  been  riverman 
and  lumber-jack,  off  and  on,  ever  since  I  was  big 
enough  to  work." 

"  Know  the  north  trail  hereabouts  ?  >! 

"  No  !  Have  not  been  long  west.  Come  from 
the  Ottawa  "  (River). 

"Well,  look  here,  Ryan,  the  police  canoe1  is 
in  from  Green  Lake — just  arrived — I've  seen 
Bob  Handcock,  the  police  sergeant.  Ice  is 
rotting  on  Crooked  Lake,  and  moving,  and  passage 
out  is  possible  inshore  for  light  canoe.  Hudson 
Bay  Co.  have  failed  to  send  me  up  promised 
4  breed  '  who  knew  the  trail,  and  I'm  going  to 
move  out  now  as  soon  as  I've  a  partner  in  the 
canoe.  What  do  you  say  to  tackling  the  job  ? 
You  can  go  back  from  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  if 
you  don't  want  to  carry  on  after  two  weeks' 
trial  of  it." 

"Wall,  Stranger,  it  might  be  done.  I  don't 
know  you,  you  don't  know  me — that's  a  great 
risk  on  undertakings  of  this  kind,  but  perhaps 

1  North-West  Mounted  Police.  Splendid  men,  those  single 
representatives  of  justice  who  command  that  law  and  order 
be  recognised  even  in  distantly  remote  corners  where  there  is 
no  law  except  that  which  their  strength  of  character  imposes 
on  lawless  men. 


8  IN  A  FRONTIER  SETTLEMENT 

we'll  hit  it  off.  You're  no  Government, — no 
party,  no  big  stores,  no  following  of  camp  cooks 
and  freighters.  What  are  you  out  for  ?  Fur, 
foxes,  or  prospecting  ?  ' 

"  No,  Ryan,  I'm  going  for  none  of  those 
things.  When  you've  come  off  the  Drive,  when 
you've  had  your  glorious  '  flare  up  '  in  the  city, 
and  your  body  and  mind  are  sick  and  sore  with 
months  of  summer  idleness,  what  do  you  long 
for  ?  Do  you  not  crave  again  for  the  freedom 
of  the  backwoods ;  for  the  great  silence ;  for 
the  peace  of  the  camp  fire  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  Mate." 

"  Well,  so  am  I  here.  There's  no  rest  in  the 
cities.  I  go  to  study  the  birds  and  animals, 
and  all  of  nature's  things — and  to  bring,  for  the 
Government,  specimens  for  their  museum. 

"  I  travel,  as  you  would  travel — alone,  caring  not 
for  the  ease  and  noise  of  retinue  in  surroundings 
which  are  ino  part  of  such  things.  From  maps 
I  know  something  of  the  main  lakes  and  rivers, 
and  leave  the  rest  to  bush-craft. 

"What  do  you  say,  Ryan,  will  you  come  ?  ' 

"H'm! — Ya,  I  guess  so,  Stranger — never  had 
a  chance  before  to  see  that  darned  North  Country." 

"  Right,  Joe  !  Shake  !  Get  what  you  want 
in  the  store,  on  my  account — six  months'  tobacco, 
mind — and  be  around  ready  to  pull  out  first 
thing  in  the  morning." 

JOE  RYAN,  RIVERMAN  AND  LUMBER- JACK 

Joe  Ryan  was  a  hard  man.  Hard,  by  nature 
of  his  calling  ;  hard,  at  the  bidding  of  his  mind. 
He  had  an  unforgiving  countenance,  deep-seared 


JOE   RYAN  9 

and  weather-beaten,  with  no  expression  that 
could  be  denned.  Indeed,  his  face  was  an  un- 
committing  mask  hiding  the  shrewd  brain  which 
had  fought  with  a  full  measure  of  the  hardships 
of  a  bushman's  life  in  the  early  days  of  the 
lumber  trade ;  and  which  had  suffered  in  the 
seeking  of  recompense  and  pleasure.  His  was  a 
life,  in  its  naked  ruggedness,  which  hardly  con- 
stitutes a  school  for  saints.  Ryan  had  gone 
through  the  bitter  mill  of  experience,  and  he 
knew  the  full  joy,  and  the  full  sorrow,  of  weeks 
of  debauch  and  devilry  when  off  the  Drive. 

But,  now,  at  the  age  of  forty-five — which  is 
beyond  the  prime  of  a  lumber- jack's  life — he  had 
learned  that  it  was  all  wrong  ;  that,  somehow  or 
other,  he  had  made  a  mess  of  things.  True,  from 
the  beginning,  he  had  known  no  other  life.  In 
Town  he  had  spent  his  pay,  as  the  others  did, 
and  been  called  "  a  good  fellow."  And  so  it 
had  been  easy  to  go  on,  difficult  to  halt,  and 
impossible  to  go  back.  But  of  that  he  made  no 
excuse  ;  he  was  not  built  in  that  way.  He  had 
failed.  Yes,  he  knew  he  had  failed ;  but  he 
would  carry  out  life  to  the  end  without  a  murmur 
of  complaint,  without  the  slightest  outward  sign 
of  repentance  or  sorrow. 

And  Joe  Ryan  had  never  married — what 
burden  he  carried,  he  carried  alone.  And,  when 
judgment  is  passed  by  the  Great  Unseen  on  those 
who  have  known  the  utter  desolation  of  a  love- 
less life,  will  not  the  hand  which  points  our 
fate  be  touched  with  a  special  tenderness  and 
forgiveness  ? 

For  the  rest,  there  was  much  in  Ryan's  life 


10  IN   A   FRONTIER   SETTLEMENT 

to  be  recommended.  He  had  been  born  in  the 
backwoods,  of  a  race  who  fight  hard  and  die  hard 
on  the  outer  edges  of  the  world,  and  he  had 
learned  his  craft,  from  boyhood,  in  a  stern  school. 
No  better  lumbermen  stepped  the  earth  than 
those  from  his  home  on  the  Gauteneau  River, 
none  more  expert  with  the  axe  nor  smarter  on 
the  logs ;  and  proud  was  their  boast  among  the 
French-Canadian  settlements  on  the  Ottawa.1 

Yes,  Joe  knew  his  work,  as  the  best  of  them 
know  it.  He  was  among  the  chosen  of  the  old 
hands,  and,  though  on  the  wrong  side  of  forty 
and  not  so  active  as  of  old,  he  could  still  compete 
with  many  a  younger  man.  .  .  . 

Such,  then,  was  my  Riverman — this  man 
whom  I  had  picked  up  by  chance  at  "  The  End  of 
the  Line,"  without  introduction  or  recommenda- 
tion, to  be  my  sole  companion  on  an  unknown 
trail  for  five  months. 

I  knew  nothing  of  the  man  except  that  I  knew 
his  trade — which  was  a  strong  word  in  his  favour 
— and  it  was  long  months  after  that  I  really  knew 
him  as  I  write  of  him.  As  he  himself  said  : 
"  You  don't  know  me,  I  don't  know  you ;  and 
that's  a  risk  on  a  big  undertaking."  But  he 
took  the  risk,  as  he  had  always  done, — the  risk 
of  mistake  by  a  stranger  at  the  bow  paddle  of 
the  canoe  on  a  dangerous  rapid  ;  the  risk  of 
"  falling  out "  a  hundred  miles,  or  a  thousand, 
from  anywhere.  .  .  . 

As  for  me — well,  I  was  taking  no  greater  risk 
than  he  was. 

1  Ottawa  River,  of  which  the  Gauteneau  is  a  tributary. 


CHAPTER    II 

OUT   TO   LAKE   ILE   A    LA    CROSSE 

I  WAS  setting  out  on  a  long  expedition  into  the 
North,  through  little-known  territory,  west  of 
Hudson  Bay,  on  exploration  and  natural-history 
research.  I  had  left  my  collecting  "  shack  "  on 
the  Plains,  from  which  I  had  roamed  the  rolling 
bluff-dotted  country  north  of  Qu'Appelle  Valley 
for  more  than  a  year,  and  was  now  in  the  frontier 
settlement,  which  I  have  described,  waiting  for 
"  open  water." 

On  April  20  I  had  had  an  advice  from  the 
Hudson  Bay  Co.  at  Prince  Albert,  saying  :  "  The 
ice  in  the  northern  lakes  has  not  yet  broken  up. 
We  will  advise  you  immediately  navigation  opens, 
to  enable  you  to  go  through  by  first  open  water." 

On  May  4,  having  no  further  advice,  and  im- 
patient to  get  away,  I  left  the  plains  on  a  dull 
cold  morning,  though  the  air  and  the  scene  had 
little  promise  of  spring.  Still  were  the  long 
stretches  of  yellow  grass,  and  the  bleak  dark- 
coloured  poplar  bluffs,  unrelieved  by  the  first 
fresh  delicate  green  of  budding  vegetation.  Still 
there  was  frost  in  the  ground,  and  snow  in  the 
hollows  and  sun-shaded  nooks.  But  the  call  of 
the  North  was  in  me,  and  I  would  be  off. 

At  Prince  Albert,  the  northern  town  of  the 

11 


12        OUT  TO   LAKE  ILE  A   LA  CROSSE 

Province  of  Saskatchewan,  I  secured  my  canoe— 
a  light  18 -foot  chestnut  cruiser — and  completed 
the  carefully  selected  outfit  which  I  was  to  take 
with  me,  and  which  had  been  minutely  calculated, 
governed  by  the  knowledge  that  I  must  travel 
light,  and  that  I  was  setting  out  from  the  mer- 
cantile world  for  a  year  or  more. 

To  anyone  about  to  leave  on  a  distant  journey 
into  country  uninhabited,  or  habited  only  by 
primitive  natives,  the  question  of  the  essential 
things  that  are  to  comprise  an  outfit  is  of  great 
importance,  and  therefore  I  give  below  a  com- 
plete list  of  what  I  considered  I  must  take,  and 
how  I  contrived  to  pack  it,  in  view  of  the  nature 
of  my  work  and  the  months  of  canoe  and  sled 
travel  that  lay  before  me. 

OUTFIT   FOR   EXPEDITION 
HUNTING  EQUIPMENT 

12-foot  split  cane  fishing-rod.  Hunting  knife  and  sheath. 

12  bore  shotgun.  8-inch  mill  file. 

•303  Ross  rifle.  Foot-rule. 

Mauser  revolver  and  belt  sheath.  48-foot  length  of  rope. 

Revolver  cartridges,  60.  Field  glasses. 

Rifle  cartridges,  100.  Pocket  compass. 

Shotgun     cartridges,    No.     10  Camp  axe. 

dust-shot,  100.  Few  wire  nails. 

Shotgun    cartridges,    various  Canoe  pitch. 

shot,  200.  Ball  of  twine. 


Small  red  cotton  bag,  containing  : 

Specimen  labels.  Needles  and  thread. 

Address  labels.  Safety  pins. 

Indelible  pencils,  5.  Pins. 

Lead  pencils,  6  H.B.  Buttons. 
Wool  for  darning. 


13 


Canvas  dish-bag,  containing : 


Frying-pan. 

Camp-kettles,  2. 

Pail,  medium  size. 

Reflector  for  bannock-baking. 

Cups,  2. 

Plates,  2. 

Salt-holder. 

Pepper-holder. 


Knives  >  2. 
Forks,  2. 
Spoons  2. 
Can-opener. 
Waterproof  match-box. 
Packet  sulphur  matches. 
Axe  hone. 
Steel  traps,  2. 


Small  blue  cotton  bag,  containing  : 

Bait-hooks.  Lead  sinkers. 

Fly-book  and  box.  Zinc  wire. 

Minnows,  2  boxes.  Brass  wire. 

Reels,  2.  Sandpaper. 

Spare  line.  Beeswax. 

Gut  casts,  1  box.  String. 
Gaff-hook. 


Blue  box,  containing  taxidermal  outfit : 


File,  small. 

Nippers. 

Brogue. 

Scissors,  2  pairs. 

Forceps. 

Egg-blowpipe. 

Egg-drill. 

Brain-hook. 


Black  ink. 
Skinning  gloves. 
Arsenic  and  alum,  3  Ibs. 
Glycerine  and  carbolic,  2  Ibs. 
Wadding,  two  1  Ib.  rolls. 
Small  glass  insect  phials. 
Mouse-traps. 
Rubber  bands. 


Photographic  outfit : 

Camera  stand. 
Developing  tank. 
Thermometer  (in  tank). 
Extension  back  to  camera. 
Dark-room  lamp. 


Acid  hypo,  6  tins. 
Film-packs,   6  tins  containing 

8  dozen  each. 
Rytol  developer,  8  bottles,  22 

tabloids  each  bottle. 


Camera  case,  containing 

Camera,     "  Voigtlander." 
Focal-plane   shutter. 
Collinear  lens. 
3 


Telephoto  lens. 
Coloured  lens,  3  grades. 
Extension  release,  30  ft. 


14        OUT  TO   LAKE  ILE   A   LA  CROSSE 


Medicine  chest,  containing : 
Blue  pills. 
Rhubarb  and  soda. 
Quinine. 
Carbolic. 

Elliman's  Embrocation. 
Keating' s  Powder. 
"  Cut  "  plaster,  1  tin. 
Bandages,  2  rolls. 

Attach^  case,  containing  : 
Survey  maps. 
Sketch-book. 
Large  note-books,  2. 
Rough  note-book. 
Handbooks  on  birds,  2. 
Book  on  trees,  1. 

Toilet  bag,  containing : 
Brush  and  comb. 
Shaving  appliances. 

Clothing  outfit : 
Blankets,  2. 

Mackinaw  trousers,  1  pair. 
Red  woollen  shirt,  1. 
Green  cotton  shirt,  1. 
Woollen  jerseys.  3. 
Underclothing,  1  suit. 
Socks,  3  pairs. 


Epsom  salts,  1  tin. 

Brandy,  1  bottle. 

Mustard  plaster. 

Formaline,  6  per  cent,  solution, 

for  liquid  preservative. 
Mosquito  oil. 
Gun-oil. 
Gun-rags. 

Pocket  dictionary. 

Burns' s  Poems. 

Wordsworth's  Poems. 

Rubber. 

Mirror. 

Candles,  3. 

Tooth-powder  and  brush. 
Soap,  1  cake. 

Gloves,  2  pairs. 
Towels,  2. 
Soft  hat. 

Moccasins,  3  pairs. 
Boots,  1  pair. 
Trouser-belt. 


Tent: 

Silk  tent,  8  feet  x  10  feet,  which      Ground -sheet, 
packs  into  very  small  bulk, 
and  weighs  but  a  few  pounds. 

Grub  for  two  men  for  two  weeks  (allowing  that  we  kill  fresh 
fish  and  meat  en  route) : 

Sugar,  loaf,  2  Ibs. 
Tea,  green,  2  Ibs. 
Salt,  2  Ibs. 
Butter,  in  tins,  4  Ibs. 


Flour,  28  Ibs. 
Bacon,  green,  20  Ibs. 
Baking-powder,  2  Ibs. 
Beans,  12  Ibs. 
Peas,  split,  4  Ibs. 
Prunes,  2  Ibs. 


Pepper,  J  Ib. 
Cornmeal,  2  Ibs. 


Total  weight,  78±  Ibs. 


HOW  TO   PACK  15 

Excepting  the  guns,  rifle  and  rod,  which  were  kept  separate, 
the  whole  of  this  kit  packed  into  five  loads  : 

Food  (two  loads),  VSJlbs.  One  large  brown  canvas  pad- 

Box  specimen  case  fitted  with          locked  kit-bag,  58  Ibs. 

trays,  2  ft.  x    1  ft.  3  in.  x      One  smaller  ditto,  53  Ibs. 

1  ft.  3  in.,  and  which  carried 

some  of  the  small    bags  in 

the  top  tray,  25  Ibs. 

By  the  method  of  packing  certain  articles  in 
small  bags  and  cases,  as  I  have  shown  above, 
and  attaching  outside  a  label  stating  contents, 
one  avoids  confusion  when  any  particular  article 
is  wanted. 

The  outfit  above-noted  was,  perhaps,  not 
perfect,  but  it  contained  most  of  the  essential 
things  and  served  me  very  well  throughout  my 
journey.  In  fact  I  would  to-day  make  little 
change  were  I  again  setting  forth  on  a  like 
undertaking. 

The  question  of  weight  on  such  a  short-handed 
undertaking  is  of  course  the  great  consideration 
that  must  modify  your  choice  when  you  have  but 
the  limited  space  of  a  single  canoe  to  accommo- 
date stores,  as  well  as  its  two  occupants. 


It  was  an  hour  after  dawn — the  breathless  air 
had  lost  but  part  of  the  wistfulness  of  night,  the 
clouds  hung  grey  and  heavy  with  rain.  Spring 
with  a  soft  persistent  hand  was  at  last  breaking 
down  the  iron  grip  of  winter. 

It  was  May  12,  and,  having  roped  the  canoe 
and  kit  in  a  wagon  hired  from  the  lumber  mill, 
we  were  setting  off  on  the  long  trail  and  were 
making  our  way  through  spruce  forest  down  the 


16   OUT  TO  LAKE  ILE  A  LA  CROSSE 

logging  trail  that  terminated  at  the  landing  on 
the  south-east  shore  of  Crooked  Lake.  The  trail 
to  the  Lake  was  very  wet  and  heavy  owing  to 
the  spring  thaw,  and  the  teamster,  as  he  set 
out,  was  very  doubtful  of  making  the  journey 
over  the  soft,  frost-ruptured,  slush-lain  ground. 
However,  spring  was  in  our  blood  and  difficulties 
looked  small,  and  we  started  off  in  high  spirits, 
accompanied  by  the  parting  good  wishes  of  a 
small  group  of  trappers  and  lumbermen  who  had, 
out  of  curiosity,  collected  to  see  the  expedition 
setting  out  on  its  long  adventure. 

After  a  good  deal  of  effort — indeed,  after 
having  twice  completely  stuck  deep  in  the  mire 
of  the  trail — the  steaming,  blown  team  drew  up 
at  the  tiny  landing,  and  our  treasured  posses- 
sions were  deposited  on  the  Lake  shore. 

The  morning  was  now  advanced. 

Had  we  been  about  to  enter  the  Garden  of 
Paradise  the  day  could  not  have  been  more 
perfect.  The  bright  sun  overhead  shone  in  a 
cloudless,  soft-blue  sky,  the  air  was  vibrant  with 
eager  vigour  and  full  of  the  promise  of  spring ; 
and  in  our  minds'  eye,  before  us,  in  the  path  of 
our  canoe,  waiting  our  coming,  was  a  great  fair 
summer-garden  of  limitless  range  and  promise. 
Small  wonder  if  the  pulse  quickened  joyfully 
and  one  inhaled  with  keen  appreciation  deep 
breaths  of  the  fragrant,  stirring,  pine-perfumed 
air. 

We  slid  the  frail,  new,  spotless  canoe  into  the 
water  alongside  the  small  rough-timbered  land- 
ing, and  praised  her  every  line  as  children  would 
a  new  toy,  while  over  a  "  drop  "  from  the  flask 


LAUNCHING  CANOE  17 

she  was  christened  The  Otter  and  we  drank  to 


"  success." 


Then  we  bid  farewell  to  the  teamster,  and 
turned  our  attention  to  the  lake,  and  to  embarking 
on  our  journey. 

Though  the  day  was  fine  the  aspect  of  the 
lake  was  not  reassuring  :  it  was  on  the  eve  of 
rupture  and  change,  but,  contrary  to  expecta- 
tion, the  ice  had  not  yet  broken  up  in  any  ex- 
tensiveness.  We  viewed  the  scene  ;  Joe  with  a 
practised  eye,  I  with  half  his  intentness,  and 
listening  more,  it  must  be  confessed,  to  the 
tumult  of  the  lake  surface ;  for  on  the  air,  from 
the  distance  and  near  at  hand,  in  haunting 
restlessness  rose  the  persistent  modulating  sound 
of  grinding,  groaning  ice-blocks  agitated  by  the 
underflowing  flood- water.  It  seemed  to  me  as 
if  the  very  soul  of  the  ice-field  was  pleading  to 
be  set  free,  knowing  in  some  mute  sense  that 
the  holding  grasp  of  winter  weakened,  and  that 
the  hour  was  at  hand  when  its  substance  would 
cease  to  be. 

I  turned  from  those  fancies,  and  conjectured 
with  Joe  the  chance  of  finding  a  clear  passage 
out.  Around  the  landing,  and  across  the  head 
of  the  lake,  there  was  open  water — clear  except 
for  occasional  detached  lumps  of  floating  ice — 
but  away  down  the  lake,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see,  there  was  nothing  but  a  great  sheet  of  dull, 
water-soaked,  rotting  ice,  broken  in  places,  and 
piled  up  where  pressure  had  forced  it  to  bulge 
and  overlap  on  to  a  resisting  surface. 

"  What  do  you  make  of  it,  Joe  ?  "   I  asked. 

"Not  much,"  answered  Joe;    "  We  may  or 


18        OUT  TO   LAKE  ILE  A  LA  CROSSE 

may  not  get  through — better  if  we  had  delayed 
a  week  longer.  The  ice  is  fast  on  this  shore  a 
long  way  down,  but  as  pressure  is  heavy  and  the 
freshet  flood  is  rising,  it  has  probably  drawn  off 
the  shore  on  the  far  side,  and  an  open  channel 
may  be  over  there.  If  it  remains  calm  the  ice 
will  hold  as  it  is,  but  wind  from  a  contrary 
quarter  would  move  the  whole  ice  surface  and 
send  the  pressure  in  whatever  direction  it  pleased 
to  blow.  But  here  we  are,  we'll  try  her  anyhow." 
So  we  pushed  off  into  the  icy  water  and  headed 
for  the  opposite  shore  across  the  head  of  the 
lake.  Reaching  there  we  found  an  open  channel 
along  shore,  as  Joe  had  surmised,  and  turned 
the  canoe's  head  northward  along  it.  All  went 
well  until  we  reached  the  cut  across  the  lake 
which  the  incoming  police  party  in  their  large 
canoe  had  opened  up  the  day  before.  We  had 
not  long  entered  this  narrow  channel  when  a 
soft  north-east  wind  began  to  rise  and  drift 
over  the  ice,  and  anxiously  we  saw  the  pressure 
begin  to  close  the  channel  before  us,  and  the 
ice  rasped  against  the  windward  side  of  our  light 
canoe.  Briefly  Joe  uttered  a  word  of  warning — 
for  we  were  in  imminent  danger — bid  me  seize 
an  axe  and  break  the  pressure  off  the  bows  as 
far  as  I  could,  while  he  worked  madly  with  his 
paddle  in  the  stern.  For  an  hour  we  laboured, 
more  like  madmen  than  sane  men,  while  we 
could  feel  the  canoe  at  times  creaking  and  almost 
giving  way  to  the  weight  of  ice  against  her  sides 
that  threatened  to  break  her  into  matchwood. 
Luckily  the  ice,  in  most  places,  was  water- 
soaked  and  rotted,  and  by  labouring  incessantly 


FORCING  WAY  THROUGH  ICE  19 

with  axe  and  paddle  we  were  able  to  move  on 
slowly,  spasmodically,  and  change  and  relieve 
the  pressure  on  the  canoe  when  it  threatened  to 
sink  us.  'We  escaped  through  in  the  end,  ex- 
hausted and  wet,  yet  very  glad  to  have  escaped 
disaster  to  ourselves  and  to  the  irreplaceable 
outfit. 

We  saw  then  how  foolhardy  we  had  been  to 
attempt  the  journey ;  how  complete  might  have 
been  the  disaster  at  the  very  outset  of  our 
undertaking. 

We  had  learned  a  lesson  on  overhaste,  but, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  such  uncommon 
experiences  that  are  a  part  of  the  charm  of  the 
North  —  unexpected  happenings,  unforeseen 
dangers,  forces  that  may  lurk  in  flood  waters, 
rapids,  storms,  night  winds,  ice  floes,  low- 
dropping  thermometer  and  steel-blue  cold,  or  in 
blinding  blizzard.  The  ways  of  the  North  are 
manifold,  and  men  cannot  know  her  long  before 
she  bids  them  see  her  grim,  unshakable  strength, 
and  experience  a  corresponding  demand  for 
daring  and  endurance. 

The  wind  held  in  the  direction  it  had  sprung 
from  and,  working  down  the  channel  on  the 
east  shore,  we  had  no  further  difficulty  in  navi- 
gating Crooked  Lake.  It  was  a  long,  narrow 
lake,  trending  northwards  through  forested  hill- 
country.  The  trees  on  the  shore  were  mostly 
delicate,  thickly  branched  poplars,  not  yet  in 
leaf,  and  here  and  there  a  few  green  spruce 
trees,  sometimes  grouped  together  in  clumps, 
sometimes  solitary,  while  in  places  the  forest 
had  been  thinned  by  fire  and  many  skeleton 


20        OUT  TO   LAKE  ILB   A  LA  CROSSE 

trunks  stood  like  grave  marks  or  sentinels  in 
their  appointed  places. 

During  our  progress  through  the  lake  plentiful 
bird-life  had  been  observed,  and  the  woods  were 
filled  with  little  songs  and  call-notes  of  the 
feathered  tribes  that  were  daily  coming  in  from 
the  distant  south  to  mate  in  their  northern 
home.  All  of  the  common  species  I  left  un- 
molested, but  secured  four  of  the  rarer  types  for 
which  I  had  come  :  an  Osprey,  Wilson's  Phala- 
rope,  and  two  Dowitchers. 

Demonstrating  the  wonderful  instinct  that 
leads  to  the  reappearance  of  bird-life  in  the 
North  almost  at  the  exact  hour  of  vital  change 
of  season,  a  pair  of  Eared  Grebes  and  a  Loon 
(Great  Northern  Diver)  were  seen  on  Crooked 
Lake  on  May  12,  when  the  lake  had  only  yet  a 
very  small  area  of  open  water.  They  were 
kindred  spirits  in  eagerness  to  be  up  and  away 
with  the  first  breath  of  spring. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  out  we  had 
reached  and  entered  the  head  of  Crooked  River. 
Here  we  camped  for  the  night,  emptying  the 
canoe  of  her  cargo  and  lifting  her  out  of  the 
water  in  case  flood  might  rise  overnight  and 
damage  her.  Then  we  ate  our  evening  meal, 
and  rested,  for  the  two  long  days  of  paddling, 
and  kneeling  in  the  canoe  bottom,  had  found 
out  unused  muscles,  and  made  us  aware  that  we 
were  not  yet  hardened  to  it. 

And  it  was  good  to  lie  there  idly  and  rest.  The 
day  had  been  glorious — spring  almost  breaking 
to  summer ;  and  we  were  satisfied  now  that  the 
weather  would  cause  us  no  further  delay. 


21 

As  evening  drew  on  we  could  hear,  back  in  the 
woods  from  different  points,  the  dump — dump — 
dump — dum !  of  a  drumming  Ruffled  Grouse, 
quickly  uttered,  and  closely  resembling  the 
sound  of  a  motor-engine  starting.  A  little  later, 
carried  to  our  ears  across  the  darkening  mask  of 
forest,  drifted  the  soft,  musical  hoo-hoo-hoo !  of 
a  solitary  owl.  We  heard  too,  then,  a  few  slow, 
rasping  frog-croaks — a  creature  or  two  venturing 
to  life,  though  the  nights  were  yet  too  cold  for 
them.  Just  as  I  was  dropping  off  to  sleep  I 
heard  a  heavy  moose  splash  ashore,  having 
crossed  from  the  opposite  river-bank,  and  pass 
through  the  willows  quite  close  to  our  camp. 

The  following  eight  days  we  continued  onward, 
favoured,  when  we  were  on  the  move  and  not 
collecting,  by  fast-flowing  flood  water  that 
hurried  between  wooded  river-banks  on  their 
long,  long  journey  to  the  sea,  some  800  to  900 
miles  away,  where  the  Churchill  River — of  which 
this  was  a  tributary,  via  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse — 
found  outlet  in  Hudson  Bay.  We  were  two 
days  on  Crooked  River,  a  stream  about  130  feet 
wide,  or  less,  that  turned  and  twisted,  as  its 
name  implies,  but  mainly  flowed  in  a  north- 
westerly direction.  On  the  morning  of  May  16 
we  arrived  at  the  point  where  Crooked  River, 
twisting  at  this  point  in  an  abrupt  astonishing 
south-westerly  direction,  empties  into  the  north- 
flowing  Beaver  River,  and  for  the  remainder  of 
the  journey  to  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake  we  continued 
on  our  way  on  the  latter  stream. 

Beaver  River  was  very  beautiful.  The  banks 
in  many  places  gradually  sloped  back  from  the 


22        OUT  TO  LAKE  iLE   A  LA  CROSSE 

stream  to  a  fair  height  and  were  wooded  chiefly 
with  spruce  and  poplar.  The  poplars,  with 
fresh-bursting  tiny  leaf,  were  now  delicately 
green,  against  ground  strewn  with  long-lain 
brown  autumn  leaves,  and  amidst  symmetrical, 
formally  erect,  darker  coloured  spruce  trees. 

Crooked  River  and  Beaver  River  have  the 
reputation  of  being  difficult  to  navigate  in 
summer,  as  there  are  then  many  shallow  stone- 
foul  rapids ;  but  in  the  big  flood  waters  of 
spring — feet  above  the  common  mark,  and  cover- 
ing most  of  the  danger  spots — we  overcame  all 
without  serious  trouble,  finally  running  Grand 
Rapid,  the  last  and  heaviest  rapid  on  this  stretch 
of  water,  with  a  fall  of  about  25  feet. 

Thereafter  we  found  ourselves  in  easy  slacken- 
ing current  flowing  between  banks  which  were 
low,  and  led  on  through  a  widening  valley. 
Opposite  Lac  la  Plonge,  and  towards  its  mouth, 
the  river  widens  out  and  passes  through  a  series 
of  marshes  and  lakes  before  emptying  into  He 
a  la  Crosse  Lake.  Through  those  marshes  and 
lakes  the  river  turns  and  twists  on  its  course 
between  low,  narrow  banks  which  in  many 
places  scantily  divide  it  from  the  flooded  main- 
land on  either  side. 

I  have  come  rapidly  down  those  waters  in 
describing  them,  but  in  reality  halt  was  made  in 
many  places  to  investigate  the  shores,  or  an 
inland  lake,  in  carrying  out  research.  During 
the  ten  days  taken  to  cover  the  total  distance — 
which  was  some  140  miles — thirty-two  specimens 
were  collected  between  Big  River  and  He  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  and  were  skinned  and  carefully 


EARLY  NESTING   BIRDS  23 

packed  away.  At  the  same  time  many  hundreds 
of  our  more  common  birds  had  been  under 
observation. 

Having  come  rapidly  forward,  as  I  have  said, 
I  will  return  now  and  note  a  few  of  the  inci- 
dents of  the  riverside. 

CROOKED  LAKE, 
May  13. 

EARLY  NESTING  MALLARD 

To-day  found  a  Mallard's  nest  containing  three 
freshly  laid  eggs  ;  the  nest  being  in  a  cavity 
almost  on  the  water  edge  in  a  low  willow-covered 
bank.  This  pair  had  lost  no  time  in  mating  and 
nesting,  for  ice  still  covered  the  lake.  I  marvel 
at  their  instinct :  the  wisdom  that  brought 
them  hundreds  of  miles  north  across  a  continent, 
their  time  of  opportune  arrival  set  with  the 
accuracy  of  calendar  date :  the  wisdom  that 
placed  the  nest  so  very  close  to  the  water's  edge, 
as  if  the  duck  had  knowledge  that  the  river 
soon  would  fall.  Some -people  might  say  it  was 
accident,  but  the  more  one  sees  of  nature,  the 
more  one  ponders  over  that  wisdom  which  is 
so  often  designated  cunning. 

AN  OSPREY'S  NEST 

Back  a  little  way  in  the  forest  at  the  top  of 
the  "  mast  "  of  a  dead  spruce  tree  we  came  later 
in  view  of  an  Osprey's  nest ;  a  look-out  over 
land  and  water  without  attempt  at  hiding.  We 
ran  the  canoe  quietly  ashore,  and  went  to  investi- 
gate, while  overhead,  slowly  circling,  swung 


24 

the  great  graceful  birds  that  we  had  disturbed 
from  the  nest.  Some  60  feet  above  the  ground  the 
dead  tree  had  been  broken  off  by  wind,  and  there 
rested  the  great  heap  of  sticks  that  composed 
the  Osprey's  eyrie.  I  climbed  the  straight  dead 
limb  with  difficulty,  for  it  was  of  fair  diameter, 
but  I  found,  when  directly  beneath  the  nest, 
that  it  was  of  such  great  bulk  that  I  could  in 
no  way  reach  out  and  above  to  the  interior  of 
the  nest  on  top.  I  was  anxious  to  secure  the 
eggs,  if  there  were  any,  and  I  tried  from  all 
sides  to  gain  a  firm  hold  on  the  nest  sticks  to 
draw  myself  outwards — but  all  to  no  avail,  and 
in  the  end  I  climbed  down  to  the  ground  unre- 
warded, and  gave  the  quest  up. 


CROOKED  RIVER, 

May  14. 

BLACK  PHASE  OF  THE  BROAD-WINGED  HAWK 

To-day  I  shot  a  Broad-winged  Hawk  which 
was  completely  dark  brownish  black  in  colour. 
It  was  a  black  phase  of  this  species.  Such  pecu- 
liarities occur,  but  they  are  rare,  and  one  is  glad 
to  find  them,  in  the  same  manner  that  one  is 
glad  to  see  a  black  fox  or  a  brown-black  timber- 
wolf. 


PIKE  AND  PICKEREL 

Pike  and  Pickerel  are  plentiful  on  this  river, 
and  we  are  securing  them  daily  for  food.  Two 
Pickerel  caught  on  small  minnow  to-day  weighed 
Ij  and  3 1  Ibs.  respectively. 


MEETING  WITH  RED-SKINS  25 

CROOKED  RIVER, 

May  15. 

WE  MEET  TWO  CREES 

While  skinning  a  hawk  this  morning,  two 
Crees,  travelling  upstream,  came  into  view.  On 
sighting  our  canoe  they  stopped  on  their  way  and 
came  ashore.  They  were  going  to  Big  River ; 
they  had  some  furs,  they  told  us. 

We  gave  them  some  food. 

One  was  a  weather-beaten  man  well  up  in 
years,  the  other  a  boy  of  about  eighteen  summers. 
The  elder  man  had  a  fine  face,  very  pleasant 
to  look  upon.  His  eyes  were  sincere,  and  had 
an  uncommon,  permanent  smiling  expression — 
though  the  whites  of  the  inner  corners  were 
bloodshot,  as  seems  to  be  common  to  all ;  many 
fine  wrinkles  ran  in  between  the  eyes  and  the 
nose,  as  if  his  eyes  had  for  ever  searched  over 
great  distances.  The  nose  was  well  chiselled 
and  strong ;  the  cheek-bones  were  high  ;  the 
chin  was  firm ;  the  forehead  broad,  and  with 
two  deep  wrinkles  across  it.  The  colour  of  his 
skin  was  shining,  deep  yellow- tinged  brown. 
The  jet-black  hair  streaked  down  over  the  fore- 
head, curled  long  and  not  ungracefully  around 
behind  the  ears,  and  down  across  the  back  of 
the  neck.  The  moustache  and  beard  were 
scanty — a  growth  of  a  few  coarse,  untidy  hairs. 
He  wore  Mackinaw  trousers,  loosely  belted  with 
a  broad  coloured  Assumption  sash,  and  a  black 
shirt.  On  his  feet  were  moccasins  that  fitted 
like  gloves,  decorated  with  interlaced  coloured 
straws  on  the  foreparts.  Neither  spoke  a  word 
of  English. 


26         OUT   TO   LAKE   ILE   A   LA   CROSSE 

A  COMMON  FRIEND  OF  THE  VOYAGEUR 

The  Spotted  Sandpiper  is  a  very  common 
bird  on  this  river.  We  constantly  disturb  them 
as  we  creep  downstream,  and  they  rise  before 
us,  piping  nervously,  in  pairs,  or  in  threes  or 
fours,  from  the  river-bank.  With  flood  waters 
high  and  covering  all  sand  or  pebble  spits,  they 
perch  always  now  on  dead  limbs  of  fallen  trees 
or  uprooted  willows  which  protrude  over  the 
bank  or  lie  water-logged  in  the  river.  It  is  re- 
marked that  when  flying  these  birds  show  a 
prominent  mark  of  white  across  the  centre  of 
the  wings,  which  is  invisible  when  they  are  in 
repose. 

SWALLOWS  ! 

Tree  Swallows  are  now  arriving.  The  brief 
spring  is  already  shortening ;  summer  is  almost 
here. 

YOUNG  OWLS 

Before  the  snows  are  gone  the  Great  Horned 
Owls  build  their  nests.  To-day  we  found  one. 
It  was  in  a  black  poplar  tree,  not  yet  in  leaf, 
situated  about  20  feet  back  from  the  river  bank. 
The  nest  was  about  30  feet  from  the  ground  on 
a  strong  fork  among  bare  limbs.  It  was  not  a 
large  nest — small  in  comparison  to  the  great 
size  of  this  species — constructed  with  dead  poplar 
and  lichen-covered  spruce  twigs,  and  lined  with 
rabbits'  hair.  In  the  nest  were  two  three-quarter- 
grown  young,  both  very  downy ;  the  down  on 
the  larger  one  a  beautiful  buff-cream  colour,  the 


NESTLING   GREAT   HORNED    OWL. 
(Not  yet  half  full  grown)  May  17,  1914. 


LESSEE,   YELLOW-LEGS. 
A  fairly  common  shorebird,  loud-voiced  like  the  European  Eedshank  when  alarmed. 


26] 


PHOTOGRAPHING  NESTS  27 

other  more  grey.  They  might,  those  weird 
creatures  in  the  tree,  have  been  elves  of  a  Wrack- 
ham's  pen,  with  their  great  round  penetrating 
eyes  and  taloned  fierceness.  While  I  examined 
the  nest,  the  parents  perched  in  trees  quite  close 
to  me  and  hoo-hoo'd  continually  in  alarm  and 
anxiety. 

Finally  we  left  the  young  to  their  parents' 
care,  after  some  trouble  to  secure  a  photograph 
of  them. 

BEAVER  RIVER, 

May  16. 

THE  AMERICAN  GOSHAWK 

To-day  found  nest  of  this  species  rand 
established  identity  beyond  doubt  by  securing 
the  female. 

The  nest  was  not  very  high  up  in  a  black 
poplar  tree  of  a  total  height  of  some  40  to  50  feet. 
On  approaching  the  tree  the  female  Goshawk 
swooped  down  from  it,  and  again  and  again 
passed  close  to  my  head,  shrieking  shrilly  as  she 
did  so.  The  male  bird  was,  meantime,  nowhere 
to  be  seen,  nor  did  he  put  in  an  appearance  that 
day,  or  the  following  day,  while  we  remained  in 
the  neighbourhood.  The  nest  was  composed  of 
dead  twigs  and  was  lined  with  dry  pieces  of  bark. 
It  contained  three  very  round  white  soiled  eggs 
decimal  of  1*69  x  2*25  in. — the  full  complement,  as 
the  female  when  skinned  and  dissected  contained 
no  further  embryo  egg-body. 

To  obtain  a  photograph  of  the  nest's  interior, 
Joe  and  I  made  a  ladder  by  felling  two  young 
poplars  25  feet  long  and  setting  them  against 


28        OUT  TO   LAKE   ILE  A  LA  CROSSE 

the  tree  next  to  the  nest,  thereafter  nailing  on 
cross-rungs  up  which  to  climb.  Had  we  made  the 
ladder  complete  on  the  ground,  our  united 
strength  could  not  have  raised  the  cumbersome, 
sap-heavy  thing  into  position,  nor  would  the 
nails  have  held  it  together,  since  the  wood  was 
green  and  soft.  The  ladder  ready,  the  camera 
was  slung  by  a  cord  from  my  neck,  the  distance 
to  nest  measured  on  the  ground,  and  the  camera 
set  to  focus  before  ascending.  The  position  on 
the  top  rung  was  precarious — with  the  left  arm 
tightly  gripping  around  the  tree  trunk,  to  prevent 
my  falling,  I  had  only  the  free  use  of  the  one 
hand  to  bring  the  camera  into  position,  remove 
the  shutter,  and  touch  off  the  release.  However, 
gradually  I  worked  the  camera  round  from  my 
back  on  to  my  right  breast  and  then  brought 
it  to  bear  steadily  on  the  nest  by  straining  the 
cord  back  with  my  neck.  After  some  trouble, 
I  secured  three  exposures.  It  took  some  time 
to  do  all  this.  What  was  my  reward  ?  None  at 
all !  Just  a  record  of  disaster ;  for  my  reference 
to  this  particular  film-pack,  which  I  was  then 
using,  reads  :  "  Rest  of  film-pack  spoilt  through 
films  jamming  and  not  coming  out  properly." 

And  that  was  the  only  occasion  on  which  I 
have  ever  seen  a  living  Goshawk  or  the  nest  of 
that  species. 

BEAVER  RIVER, 

May  18. 

LONG  DAYS  AND  MANY  LABOURS 

Arose  4  a.m.  Came  on  about  twenty-five  miles. 
Lay  down  to  sleep  at  9  p.m.  A  seventeen-hours 


ON   BEAVER   RIVER  29 

day,  which  is  about  our  usual  day — the  principal 
exertions,  our  ever-onward  search  and  travel ; 
and  skinning  specimens  and  preparing  food  when 
we  ran  ashore  at  our  night  camping  place. 


GREEN  LEAF  SET  FREE  ON  WINTER-BARE  TREES 

To-day  has  been  very  fine  and  the  sunshine 
brilliant,  and  on  the  river-bank  the  leaf-buds  of 
the  poplars  and  willows  are  bursting,  and  the 
trees  in  a  few  hours  have  become  beautiful  with 
liberal  show  of  minute  ornament  of  purest  emerald 
green. 

SCARCITY  OF  WILD  DUCK 

There  is  on  this  river,  so  far  as  we  have  gone, 
a  marked  scarcity  of  wild  duck.  They  are  here 
much  less  plentiful  than  on  Crooked  River.  We 
are  now  on  the  main  Hudson  Bay  Company's 
route  from  Green  Lake  to  lie  a  la  Crosse  post, 
and  it  may  be  that  they  are  less  common  here 
because  this  river  is  more  often  disturbed  by 
passing  voyageurs. 


BEAVEB  RIVER, 

May  19. 


WARBLERS  ARRIVING 


Many  warblers  are  to-day  in  evidence  for  the 
first  time.  'With  the  advance  of  spring  they  are 
feeling  their  way  north.  Groups  of  them  were  ob- 
served among  the  willows,  restless  and  plaintively 
calling  as  if  still  in  course  of  migration. 

4 


30         OUT  TO   LAKE   ILE   A   LA  CROSSE 

WE   LEAVE  THE  RIVER  AND   VISIT  SMALL  LAKE 

After  travelling  some  distance  to-day,  we 
viewed,  beyond  the  low  bank  on  our  right,  a 
small  inland  lake  on  the  east  of  the  river.  Through 
field  glasses  it  was  seen  that  this  secluded  water 
held  abundant  waterfowl,  so  we  decided  to  port- 
age the  canoe  overland  to  it,  and  spend  the 
remainder  of  the  day  there.  The  borders  of  the 
lake  were  grown  with  tall  yellow  marsh  grass, 
while  down  to  the  lake  shores  crowded  compact, 
sheltering  forest,  except  on  the  river-side,  which 
was  open  marsh.  Here  and  there  a  gaunt, 
dead,  storm-bruised  tree  stood  in  the  water, 
landmarks  to  remember,  and  the  perching  places 
of  a  small  colony  of  Bonaparte  Gulls  which  were 
among  the  many  birds  on  the  lake.  Black  Terns 
were  here  in  large  numbers,  flying  swallow-like 
in  the  air,  but,  unlike  the  swallow,  plaintively 
and  fussily  shrieking  over  our  heads  in  protest 
against  our  approach.  Coots  were  numerous 
and  many  duck :  Mallard,  Pintail,  American 
Scaup  Duck,  Golden-eye,  and  Blue-winged  Teal. 
Though  ducks  appeared  scarce  on  the  river  they 
were  common  enough  here.  From  among  other 
and  more  uncommon  varieties  I  secured  seven 
specimens,  and  felt  well  repaid  for  having  halted 
and  turned  aside  to  this  favoured  and  fascinating 
habitat  of  wild  fowl.  None  of  the  birds  on  the 
lake  were  nesting.  They  were  either  still  on 
their  journey  northward  or  had  but  lately  arrived 
in  old  haunts.  I  skinned  late  into  the  evening  at 
our  camp  by  the  shore  of  the  lake,  while  coots, 
in  scores,  splashed  noisily,  and  chattered  among 
the  reeds  close  by.  Once  or  twice,  a  busy  musk- 


TRAPPING   MAMMALS  81 

rat  swam  smoothly  across  the  calm  water,  from 
shore  to  shore  of  an  inlet,  with  nose  and  tail  on 
the  water's  surface  and  mouth  packed  with  a 
fresh  gathering  of  reeds. 

BEAVER  RIVEB, 

May  20. 

JOE   TRAPS   SMALL  MAMMALS 

I  carry  two  steel  traps  and  some  mouse-traps, 
for  collecting  purposes.  The  larger  traps  afford 
Joe,  my  riverman,  much  amusement,  for  he  has 
trapped  furs  and  has  all  of  a  trapper's  enthu- 
siasm, and  love  of  speculation  as  to  the  possi- 
bilities of  a  catch  after  his  set  is  made. 

After  the  evening  meal  is  over  off  Joe  goes 
to  look  for  signs  of  animals  and  make  his  sets. 
Having  found  a  place  to  his  liking,  you  may 
watch  him  plan  to  outwit  his  quarry,  place  a 
trap  just  to  his  liking,  cover  it  with  great  care, 
stake  it  down,  and  finally  lay  his  tempting  bait 
— a  fish,  a  fish  head,  or  a  part  of  a  bird  carcass. 
In  the  morning,  yesterday,  he  had  captured  a 
Ground  Hog,  and  this  morning  a  Skunk. 

NEARING  ILE  A  LA  CROSSE 

To-day  we  came  down  the  lower  reaches  of 
the  river,  and,  against  a  light  headwind,  stole 
out  from  its  mouth  on  to  the  large  lake  of  He 
a  la  Crosse.  We  had  come  through  low  country 
latterly,  where  long  marsh  stretched  away  north 
with  the  river  course  as  far  as  eye  could  see. 
There  were  lakes  on  either  side,  deep  blue  and 
wind-ruffled,  and  with  yellow  marsh  bordering 
their  areas ;  low  timber  country  on  the  far 


32        OUT  TO  LAKE  ILE   A  LA  CROSSE 

distance  of  land ;  willows  on  the  river-banks 
with  wave-shaded  tops  of  fresh  new  green,  and, 
on  the  east  shore,  small  occasional  bluffs  of 
poplar.  Overhead  an  equal  feeling  of  unbounded 
vastness  and  beauty — far  off  white  pillowed 
clouds  in  a  soft  blue  sky. 

MARSH  HAWK.    BIRDS  VERY  LOCAL 

To-day  I  observed  a  single  Marsh  Hawk.  This 
is  in  a  way  remarkable  because  it  is  the  first  one  I 
have  seen  since  leaving  the  prairies,  where  they 
are  very  common.  But  birds  in  Canada  are 
often  very  local.  Their  favourite  haunts  are  con- 
tained within  great  areas,  and  they  do  not 
apparently  roam  far  beyond  them  except  in  their 
migration  north  and  south.  One  may  live  years 
in  one  place  and  never  see  a  single  bird  of  a 
species  that  may  be  fairly  common  a  hundred  miles 
or  more  away  in  country  of  a  different  type. 

*  •  •  •  • 

In  noting  here  those  incidents  I  have  done  so 
to  give  an  impression  of  daily  occurrence,  the 
like  of  which  continued  for  many  months  while 
travelling  over  2,000  miles  through  Far  North 
territory.  Hereafter  I  will  not  continue  day  to 
day  description  of  the  country,  its  scenery,  and 
its  wild  life,  but  will  take  you  boldly  to  the 
subject  of  the  chapters  which  deal  with  the  most 
interesting  incidents  of  the  expedition. 


> 


CHAPTER    III 

SEEKING   THE    SANDHILL   CRANE 

ONE  evening  in  May  found  us  quietly  moving 
along  the  east  shore  of  Lake  He  a  la  Crosse,  when 
the  sun  was  lowering  in  the  west  and  a  soft,  damp- 
tempered  haze  hung  around  the  bottom  of  the 
dome  of  the  sky.  We  were  paddling  along  easily, 
enchanted  in  a  measure,  by  the  scene  and  sound 
of  our  unbounded  surroundings.  The  setting 
sun  still  lit  the  shore  ahead,  enriching  with  the 
colour  of  gold  the  fresh  young  leaves  and  the 
white  trunks  of  the  cottonwood  trees,  till  they 
were  fair  and  fantastic  as  fairyland  should  be  ; 
while,  on  the  lake,  moved  the  low  murmuring 
lap  of  gentle  waves  coming  and  going  in  company 
with  the  light  northern  breeze,  and  that  made  a 
laughing  trickle  as  they  broke  on  the  prow  of 
the  canoe.  So  intense  was  the  mystic  hush  of 
evening,  and  unpeopled  northland,  that  we 
almost  felt  guilty  that  we  would  be  discovered  in 
our  quest — that  quest  that  was  not  for  fairies, 
but  for  something  almost  as  elusive  :  the  haunt 
of  the  Sandhill  Crane. 

To-day,  to-morrow,  or  the  next  day,  we  hoped 
to  have  luck  and  find  that  which  we  were  search- 
ing for,  but  who  could  tell ! 

Until  an  hour  after  sunset  we  kept  on,  listen- 
ing, hoping  that  the  lone  call  of  a  crane  might 

33 


84         SEEKING  THE  SANDHILL  CRANE 

be  borne  down  to  us  on  the  breeze—  But  no ! 
nothing  gave  us  hope — nothing ;  and  the  day 
was  done. 

Seeking  night  camping-ground  we  ran  in  where 
the  shore  was  bad,  for  we  had  to  make  a  land- 
ing somewhere  on  a  shore  composed  of  gravel, 
and  granite  and  sandstone  boulders.  But  the 
ingenious  Joe  jumped  ashore,  and  while  I  held 
out  in  deep  water,  cut  and  laid  a  bed  of  spruce 
boughs  at  the  water's  edge,  and  on  that  the 
frail  craft  was  smoothly  grounded,  emptied  of 
her  load,  and  carried  ashore  as  wind  was  rising. 

The  country  behind  the  east  shore  where  we 
camped,  and  which  we  were  searching  along,  was 
generally  low  and,  although  the  map  in  my  posses- 
sion was  blank,  we  knew  it  must  contain  many 
forest-bounded  lakes,  absolutely  secluded  from 
the  disturbance  of  red  man  or  white ;  and  it 
seemed  possible  that  if  any  cranes  were  nesting 
in  the  interior  they  might  at  some  time  come 
out  near  this  greater  sheet  of  water,  and  perhaps, 
if  seen,  betray  the  secretive  locality  they  in- 
habited. To  go  haphazard  into  the  forest  to 
search  would  be  as  vain  as  "  to  look  for  a  needle  in 
a  haystack,"  requiring  many  months  to  attempt, 
without  any  certainty  of  any  success. 

Two  days  later  found  us  groping  in  the  forest, 
searching  for  unknown,  unnamed  water,  through 
country  that  had  not  even  a  game  path  to  show  us 
our  possible  destination.  The  evening  before  we 
had  heard  a  crane  call,  clear  and  unmistakable, 
from  high  in  the  sky  over  the  forest.  The  call 
had  been  repeated  ;  had  grown  nearer  and  louder 
until,  at  last,  we  had  seen  the  great  winged  bird 


34] 


THE   SANDHILL   CRANE. 


35 

come  into  sight,  and,  ultimately,  pitch  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  Breathlessly  then  we  had 
watched  and  waited,  for  it  was  as  if  we  were 
searching  for  gold  and  were  feverishly  near  to  it. 

For  a  little  time  the  bird  had  pecked  among 
the  gravel,  then  risen  heavily,  got  started  in 
speed  and  equilibrium,  and  sailed  away  over  the 
forest  straight  back  into  the  east.  The  bird's 
manner  of  going  had  the  decision  of  one  returning 
to  settled  haunts,  and  we  felt  sure  that  if  we  could 
find  a  marshy  lake  somewhere  in  the  area  where 
the  bird  had  flown  we  would  be  very  close  to 
the  real  centre  of  our  search. 

So  were  we  groping  in  the  forest — east  for  a 
long  distance,  then  traversing  roughly  north- 
east and  south-east.  In  our  search  we  came  on 
more  than  one  lake  and  had  to  make  wide  detours 
in  some  cases  to  get  past  and  beyond  them,  but 
in  none  did  we  disturb  the  secreted  crane,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  day  vain  had  been  our  search 
through  belts  of  crowded  forest  and  muskeg 
bog,  where  foothold  was  precarious  and  stepping 
laborious. 

Throughout  the  day  we  covered  a  large  extent 
of  country  and  were  disappointed  to  have  seen 
nothing  of  bear,  moose,  deer,  or  other  animals 
indigenous  to  this  territory.  But  where  areas 
of  forest  are  great  and  closely  grown  it  is  really 
seldom  that  one  sees  big  game  in  summer-time. 
In  fact,  at  this  season,  one  might  often  be  misled 
to  believe  that  there  are  none.  However,  that 
would  be  a  rash  assumption  :  there  is  game  in 
plenty,  though  to-day  was  a  blank  one,  and  all 
that  we  disturbed  was  an  innocent,  awkward- 


86         SEEKING  THE   SANDHILL  CRANE 

moving  porcupine,  feeding  among  the  branches 
of  a  poplar  tree,  and  a  brooding  spruce  grouse 
which  we  flushed  from  beneath  an  alder  tree, 
where  six  eggs  reposed  on  a  shallow  gathering 
of  dead  brown  leaves. 

Over  the  evening  camp  fire  we  were  forced  to 
wonder  if,  after  all,  we  had  made  a  mistake,  and 
were  to  suffer  the  disappointment  of  an  error  of 
judgment.  Joe,  no  longer  actively  young,  was 
feeling  tired  and  stiff  after  the  long  day  on  the 
trail,  and  was  plainly  sceptical  and  inclined  to 
be  disheartened  and  give  up.  I,  on  my  part,  was 
prepared  to  doubt  my  judgment  of  the  day  before 
—the  bird,  after  all,  might  have  been  a  solitary 
one  without  mate  or  settled  haunt,  an  outlaw 
male  roving  broadcast  where  it  willed,  free  and 
restless  as  the  four  winds  of  the  wilderness. 

In  the  early  morning,  while  the  dew  yet  lay 
white  on  the  undergrowth,  and  mists  lay  cloud- 
like  over  the  muskegs  in  the  hollows,  we  were 
out  of  our  blankets  and  preparing  to  strike 
camp. 

We  had  decided  to  give  up  :  to  go  back  to  the 
canoe,  and  continue  on  the  long  north  trail. 

We  were  eating  our  hasty  breakfast — tea, 
bannock,  and  a  slice  or  two  of  fried  salt  pork — 
when  suddenly  we  both  started  to  our  feet,  each, 
in  excitement,  exclaiming  quite  needlessly  "  Lord ! 
what  was  that  ?  "  as  clearly  and  closely  the  call  of 
the  lost  crane  vibrated  through  the  morning 
stillness.  The  sound  came  from  the  north-east, 
no  distance  ahead.  Astonishment  and  delight 
lit  up  our  faces ;  though  the  incident  decisively 
showed  us  how  near  we  had  been  to  utter  fools,  in 


\ 

NEST   AND   EGGS   OF   BLACK   TEEN. 


NEST   AND   EGGS   OP   COMMON   TEEN. 
Rocky  Island,  in  an  inlet  bay  above  Samoy  Lake. 


36] 


DISCOVERING  SANDHILL  CRANES        37 

giving  up  when  within  reach  of  our  rare  and 
elusive  quarry. 

A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  finish  breakfast  and 
start  on  the  trail.  Our  search  did  not  meet  with 
immediate  success,  and  by  eleven  in  the  forenoon 
our  eagerness  was  rebuffed  and  considerably 
abated,  while  we  were  still  hunting  for  the  lake 
that  held  the  secret.  But  at  last  we  had  our 
reward,  in  all  its  fulness  since  it  had  been  so  diffi- 
cult to  attain,  for,  about  half  an  hour  later,  we 
came  on  a  small  marsh-bordered  lake,  and  there, 
when  we  stepped  out  of  the  woods  into  view,  two 
great  Cranes  arose  from  its  interior,  uttering 
their  call  of  warning,  above  the  peevish  screaming 
of  a  large  colony  of  Black  Terns,  as  they  swung 
wide  and  high  over  the  lake,  disinclined  to  depart. 
Here  indeed  was  the  lake  we  had  been  searching 
for,  this  forest-locked  sheet  of  water,  lying 
calmly  at  our  feet  full  of  meditation  and  reflection, 
and  unaware  that  it  held  for  us  great  treasure. 
The  lake  was  angular,  and  had  one  small  island  in 
the  middle  on  which  grew  an  ill-thriven  tree  or 
two.  On  all  shores  there  were  extensive  reed- 
marshes,  broadly  stretching  out  into  the  lake, 
where  water-depth  was  shallow. 

We  explored  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  for 
some  distance,  disturbing  bird  life  of  many  kinds 
as  we  went,  but  ultimately  decided  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  search  thoroughly  for  the  crane's 
nest  without  the  aid  of  our  canoe.  This  would 
mean  a  very  long  arduous  portage,  but  Joe,  my 
sturdy  old  backwoods-man — now  as  keen  as  I  on 
the  quest — himself  suggested  it,  and  made  light  of 
the  toil  which  he  was  setting  for  himself. 


38         SEEKING  THE  SANDHILL  CRANE 

To  begin  with,  our  task  was  to  blaze  and  clear 
a  trail  back  to  our  camp  on  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake  ; 
so  we  set  out  on  the  back-trail,  seeking  the  line 
of  clearest  passage,  and  cutting  out  saplings  and 
overhead  branches  whenever  they  would  inter- 
fere with  a  clear  way  for  man  and  shoulder-high 
canoe.  At  intervals  a  clean  white  "  blaze  "  was 
sliced  on  the  homeward  side  of  a  spruce,  pine 
or  tamarac  tree,  to  show  clearly  our  way  ahead 
when  we  came  to  return  with  the  canoe.  Our 
small  hand-axes  struck  out  quickly  and  unerr- 
ingly as  onward  we  pressed. 

By  late  afternoon  a  long  distance  had  been 
cleared  and  blazed,  by  constant  toiling,  and  we 
thought  we  were  near  to  our  old  camp.  Here 
we  were  at  fault,  however,  and  for  an  hour  could 
not  find  our  proper  course  nor  come  out  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse.  Although  we 
did  not  know  it  at  the  time,  we  had  got  too  far 
round  to  the  north — not  much,  mind  you,  but 
just  enough  to  change  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
country  and  lead  to  confusion. 

At  dusk,  after  crossing  a  spongy  muskeg  bog 
with  difficulty,  we  came  out  on  the  inner  end  of  a 
far-reaching  inlet  bay  of  the  lake.  Joe  was  put 
out  by  this  time  and  candidly  lost.  I,  assisted  by 
the  compass,  was  convinced  we  were  north  of  our 
camp,  but  for  once  Joe  was  "at  sea,"  and  could 
in  no  way  back  up  my  opinion. 

However,  after  a  rest,  my  counsel  having  pre- 
vailed as  to  direction,  we  cut  south-east  into  the 
woods  again. 

We  had  not  been  on  the  fresh  trail  more  than 
an  hour  before  we  found  ground  we  knew  and 


SOUTH-WEST   GALE   BURSTS  89 

camp.  We  were  not  long  in  rolling  ourselves  in 
our  blankets  ;  and  slept  the  faultless  sleep  of 
well-tired  and  healthy  hunters. 

Prewarned  by  constringed  wispy  grey  clouds 
of  the  previous  evening,  we  awoke  in  the  morning 
to  find  a  storm  had  burst. 

For  two  days  we  were  delayed,  while  a  heavy 
south-west  gale  scudded  angrily  over  Lake  lie 
a  la  Crosse  and  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  canoe 
up-shore  to  the  inlet  bay  where  our  blazed  trail 
terminated.  Had  we  known  at  the  outset  that 
the  storm  was  to  last,  we  would  have  cleared  an 
overland  trail  to  the  inlet.  But  that  would 
have  entailed  considerable  labour,  so  we  waited 
for  the  change  of  weather,  trusting  to  luck,  and 
it  turned  out  that  luck  was  not  in  good  humour. 

On  the  third  day  we  were  up  at  4.15  a.m. — 
if  my  watch  was  right — while  the  golden  glow  of 
dawn  was  in  the  east,  and  the  sun  was  still 
hidden  behind  the  dark  peaks  of  the  spruce-tops. 
In  the  crisply  cool  morning — for  the  thermometer 
registered  only  4  degrees  above  freezing — we 
started  up-shore  in  the  canoe,  disembarked  at 
the  inlet,  and  commenced  the  long  portage  inland. 

You  know  how  a  canoe  is  carried  ?  .  .  .  The 
paddles  are  lashed  to  the  narrow  cross-bars — 
which  are  the  seats  of  the  canoe — in  such  a 
position  that  when  the  canoe  is  upturned  and 
hoisted  over  a  man's  head,  the  head  slips  between 
the  paddle  stems  just  before  the  spatulated  blades, 
which  thereupon  descend  comfortably  on  to  the 
broad  shoulders  of  the  carrier.  In  lashing  the 
paddles  into  position  for  canoe  portage  they  are 
longitudinally  arranged  so  that  the  canoe  will  be 


40         SEEKING  THE  SANDHILL  CRANE 

fairly  evenly  balanced  when  being  carried — if 
anything,  a  little  more  weight  should  be  pro- 
portioned to  balance  behind  rather  than  in  front. 
A  chestnut  canoe  is  a  heavy  man-load,  somewhere 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  one  hundred  pounds, 
and  it  is  wise  to  load  up  carefully  and  comfort- 
ably before  starting  on  an  undertaking  that 
tries  one's  strength  to  the  utmost  before  the 
other  end  of  the  portage  is  reached. 

Meantime,  to  return  to  our  undertaking,  we 
had  been  labouring  for  hours  along  the  blazed 
trail,  and  it  was  not  until  the  afternoon  that  we 
reached  our  destination — the  lake  that  contained 
the  cranes. 

After  a  brief  rest  we  launched  the  canoe : 
assuredly  the  first  craft  since  the  beginning  of 
time  to  intrude  on  the  placid  waters  of  that 
unknown  lake,  set  deep  in  forest  seclusion. 

We  eagerly  commenced  our  search  for  the 
crane's  nest,  urged  on  by  sight  of  the  birds  who 
wildly  flew  from  before  our  neighbourhood,  utter- 
ing once  or  twice  their  curious  call.  Our  search 
was  a  long  one ;  all  the  marsh  shores  were  examined 
in  vain,  and  not  until  evening,  when  on  the  island 
in  the  lake,  did  we  find  the  nest.  Here,  on  a 
marshy  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  to 
our  great  delight,  we  came  on  the  long-concealed 
nest — a  large  platform  of  gathered  marsh-wreck 
built  on  the  water  surface  among  reeds ;  and 
therein  two  large  oblong  eggs  of  medium  buffish 
sienna  colour  (perhaps  finely  speckled)  and  with 
spots  and  splashes  of  darker  colour. 

Now  in  the  case  of  rare  birds'  eggs  you  doubt* 
less  know  that  it  is  essential  to  establish  their 


SANDHILL  CRANE'S  NEST  FOUND         41 

identity  beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt  if  the 
record  is  to  receive  recognition  and  be  of  scientific 
value.  This  is  usually  done  by  securing  one  or 
both  of  the  parent  birds.  But  in  this  case  I  had 
a  double  interest  in  wishing  to  secure  the  parents  : 
for  all  along  I  had  never  been  sure  of  the  identity 
of  this  pair  of  birds — their  apparent  colour 
bothered  me.  Observing  them  through  Zeiss 
field-glasses  they  appeared  bufnsh  brown  tinged 
in  colour,  not  the  leaden  slate-grey  of  the  Sand- 
hill Crane  as  I  knew  it  in  autumn  in  the  plains. 
(The  red  on  the  forehead  was  very  bright,  and  the 
neck  more  greyish  than  the  rest  of  the  specimen.) 
Was  theirs  strange  plumage  of  the  Sandhill 
Crane,  or  could  they  be  Whooping  Cranes  ? 
Here  was  uncommon  interest,  and  I  was  more 
keen  than  ever  I  had  been  in  my  life  before  to 
secure  those  specimens.1 

Joe  and  I  soon  planned  a  method  of  outwitting 
the  cranes.  I,  with  my  twelve-bore  gun,  hid 
among  the  willows  on  the  island,  while  Joe  put 
out  on  to  the  lake  in  the  canoe,  paddled  across  it, 
and  landed,  and  hid  himself  and  canoe  in  the 
forest  to  make  believe  that  we  had  taken  our 
departure. 

I  had  not  long  to  wait  in  my  hiding-place  before 
my  excitement  grew  intense.  The  great  cranes 
called,  one  to  the  other,  appeared  in  the  distance, 
and  soon  were  swinging  overhead,  examining  the 

1  Since  this  was  written  I  have  had  opportunity  to  look  over 
the  half-dozen  skins  of  the  Sandhill  Crane  which  are  in  the 
British  Museum.  One  of  those  had,  on  the  forebreast,  decided 
sienna-brown  colouring,  and  I  now  conclude  that  the  specimens 
above  referred  to  were  this  species,  but  of  exceptional  sienna 
breast  plumage. 


42         SEEKING   THE   SANDHILL   CRANE 

lake  beneath.  Again  and  again  they  passed  over 
the  island  where  I  lay  hidden,  lowering  in  their 
flight,  but  not  low  enough — they  were  very  wary  ; 
provokingly  suspicious. 

At  last,  as  one  of  the  great  birds  came  sailing 
straight  toward  me,  I  thought  it  within  long 
range  and  took  my  chance — Both  shots  rattled 
on  the  great  bird,  but  alas  !  it  but  faltered  in  its 
flight  for  an  instant,  and  passed  rapidly  away 
from  my  discomfited  sight. 

I  felt  all  was  over  now — the  great  chance  irre- 
vocably lost ;  but  hoping  against  reason,  I  waited 
on  until  dark. 

Neither  bird  returned,  and  sadly  I  put  off  for 
shore  when  Joe  came  for  me. 

We  left  the  nest  and  eggs  untouched  on  the 
island,  deciding  to  sleep  the  night  on  the  lake 
shore  and  visit  the  island  again  in  the  morning 
in  the  forlorn  hope  that  the  cranes  would  in  the 
meantime  return. 

We  spent  a  comfortless  night,  cold — since  we 
had  no  blankets — and  tormented  by  mosquitoes. 

Next  morning  we  were  early  on  the  lake,  and 
moved  quietly  toward  the  island,  while  no  cranes 
were  seen  or  heard,  foreboding  ill  for  our  enter- 
prise. But  we  were  not  prepared  for  the  cul- 
minating disappointment  that  awaited  us  at 
the  island — when  we  came  to  the  crane's  nest  it 
was  empty  ! — the  eggs  had  gone  1  Where  ?  We 
could  not  tell ;  we  could  only  surmise  that  rats, 
crows,  or  the  cranes  themselves  had  destroyed 
them  or  carried  them  off. 

It  was  all  a  terrible  disappointment.  Great 
hopes  sustained  until  the  final  hour  ;  then  nothing 


OUR  CULMINATING  DISAPPOINTMENT    43 

but  wreckage.  For  two  years  I  had  dreamed 
of  finding  the  nest  and  eggs  of  this  species  north 
of  Prince  Albert,  and  this  result  when  my  dream 
seemed  true ! 

Like  everyone  else  naturalists  have  their  suc- 
cesses and  failures.  This  was  my  dark  day. 

Before  leaving  the  lake  we  spent  an  hour 
among  the  colony  of  Black  Terns  that  were  just 
commencing  to  nest,  and  obtained  some  photo- 
graphs of  the  few  nests  that  contained  their 
complement  of  eggs. 


CHAPTER   IV 

ON   THE    GREAT   CHURCHILL   RIVER 

IT  is  difficult  to  measure  the  distances  one  travels 
in  passing  through  new  country,  so  one  seldom 
attempts  it.  When  the  question  arises  of  travel 
about  to  be  undertaken,  or  that  has  been  ac- 
complished, one  falls  back,  as  a  rule,  on  what 
maps  one  possesses  to  scale  off  as  best  one  can 
on  a  minute  scale  the  straight  distances  as  they 
are  there  shown.  But  such  map  measurements 
are  at  best  but  rudely  approximate,  for  seldom 
indeed  can  one  follow  a  land  or  water  trail 
directly  from  point  to  point,  as  one  assumes 
the  course  on  the  map.  Indeed,  if  one  surveyed 
and  laid  on  paper  the  actual  course  of  a  primitive 
canoe  l  in  navigating  a  lake,  while  keeping  land 
in  view  and  avoiding  the  unsheltered  open  lake 
on  which  it  would  spell  death  to  be  caught  in 
one  of  those  rapid  rising  storms  of  wind  so  common 
to  the  country,  one  would  be  astonished  at  the 
line  that  would  zigzag  and  curve  in  its  progress 
towards  its  objective,  for  it  would  in  all  proba- 
bility take  along  shores  of  jutting  headlands  and 
through  bewildering  groups  of  island,  that  ever 

1  I  speak  of  inland  waters  that  have  grown  old  in  their  own 
deep  solitude,  where  stout  power-driven  sailing-craft  are  un- 
known of  the  kind  that  could  surge  ahead  through  all  winds 
and  currents  and  on  any  course,  aided  by  chart  and  ship's  compass. 

44 


GATEWAYS   OF   MAGNIFICENT   EIVER   BETWEEN   THE   LAKE   EXPANSIONS. 


44] 


A   EAPID. 
Scene  of  sound,  commotion,  and  colour. 


LENGTH  OF  CHURCHILL  RIVER          45 

interrupt  and  change  the  route  of  travel ;  and 
add  many  hours'  labour  to  the  patient  voyageur. 
Over  land  it  is  the  same ;  one  works  forward  to 
a  distant  objective,  for  ever  on  the  look-out  to 
avoid  the  rougher  going — thick  undergrowth, 
swamps,  muskegs,  and  such  natural  obstacles — 
and  endeavouring  to  obtain  the  most  comfortable 
and  progressive  route  that  the  local  conditions 
of  the  country  offer. 

Maps  show  the  distance  that  I  have  canoed  on 
the  Great  Churchill  River— or  "The  English 
River  "  as  it  is  locally  called — from  lie  a  la  Crosse 
Lake  eastward  to  its  junction  with  Reindeer 
River,  to  approximate  276  miles ;  while  beyond 
the  point  of  my  departure  from  it  it  continues 
easterly  another  540  miles  before  it  empties  into 
the  sea  in  Hudson  Bay.  This  is  sufficient  to 
make  clear  that  it  is  a  mighty  river  in  length, 
as  it  is  also  mighty  in  breadth  and  volume  of 
water. 

Throughout  its  course  the  Churchill  River  is 
an  extraordinary  series  of  wide  lake  expansions 
linked  together  by  gateways  and  glens  of  mag- 
nificent river  where  waters  gather  in  indrawing 
volume  to  enter,  and  hurry,  and  tumble,  and 
roar  in  their  wild  escaping  onward,  ever  onward 
to  the  next  lake,  and  the  next,  in  their 
incessant,  time-set  journey  to  the  sea. 

On  the  section  of  the  river  on  which  I  travelled 
there  were  no  fewer  than  sixteen  large  and 
beautiful  lakes,  ennobled  by  solitude,  rich  in  the 
undefined  and  the  mysterious  of  the  Unknown  : 
each  resembling  the  other  in  that  they  were  gems 
inset  in  the  one  type  of  fair  green  forest  country 
5 


46      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

indigenous  to  that  latitude ;  •  each  different  in 
that  the  aspect  to  the  eye  was  ever  a  changing 
scene  of  fresh  beauty  and  of  fresh  and  gratifying 
originality.  One  never  grew  tired  nor  complained 
of  monotony.  Stimulated  by  beauty,  rather  was 
one  incited  almost  to  hurry  from  one  fair  picture 
to  another,  seeking  what  lay  hidden  beyond  the 
next  river-bend,  or  the  next  island,  and  when 
that  also  was  revealed  to  wish  in  passing, 
and  in  the  fulness  of  praise  and  satisfaction, 
that  the  best  of  one's  friends  in  the  world  could 
be  there  also  to  share  such  wealth  of  wonderful 
scenes.  It  was  much  too  fine,  it  seemed,  to  be 
revealed  to  just  an  audience  of  one. 

Those  lakes  on  the  route  occupied,  approxi- 
mately, 157  miles  of  the  total  distance,  so  that 
considerably  less  than  half  of  my  journey  on  the 
Churchill  was  on  actual  river. 

In  the  manner  of  our  going  I  will  trace  the 
course  of  the  Churchill  River  to  the  mouth  of 
Reindeer  River. 

Our  solitary  canoe,  containing  my  able  river- 
man  at  the  stern-paddle  and  myself  at  the  bow- 
paddle,  entered  the  Churchill  River  from  the 
north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake.  After  passing 
down  a  short,  narrow  stream  of  rapid  water,  we 
entered  and  traversed  Shagwenaw  Lake — a  lake 
which  lies  almost  north  and  south.  The  north 
shore,  with  forest  to  the  water's  edge,  was  not 
far  distant  on  our  left,  but  on  our  right,  away  out 
south  as  far  as  eye  could  see,  stretched  a  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  interspersed  with  such  a  confusion 
of  wooded  islands  as  might  well  perplex  the 
voyageur  should  he  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  be 


SHAGWENAW   LAKE  47 

doubtful  of  direction.  It  was  an  invigorating 
day  in  early  June ;  cool,  almost  cold.  Bright 
sunlight  lit  up  the  full  deep  green  of  the  peak- 
topped  forests  of  spruce  and  pine  and  glinted 
along  the  bleached,  disfigured  trunks  of  storm- 
wrecked,  long-dead  trees,  uprooted  and  thrown 
down  here  and  there  at  the  forest  edge  in  an- 
gular disorder.  Broad  earth  and  broad  water 
were  beautiful :  so  also  the  heavens,  beyond 
Space  of  remarkable  atmospheric  clearness — grey 
islands  of  cloud  lying  low  along  the  northern 
horizon,  a  few  faint  white  puffs  and  shallows  to 
the  east,  and  to  the  south  a  heavy  pillowed 
gathering  of  white  and  grey  clouds,  sun-touched 
on  their  bankings  with  the  south-east  morning 
sun — overhead  a  great  wide  dome  of  clearest, 
softest  blue. 

Without  difficulty  we  found  the  outlet  from 
Shagwenaw  Lake  and  entered  a  long  stretch 
of  river,  wide  and  deep,  and,  for  the  greater  part, 
gently  flowing.  During  the  afternoon  two  rapids 
were  encountered  :  the  first,  not  having  excessive 
fall  and  having  a  feasible-looking  course  down 
the  edge  of  the  rough  centre  volume  of  water, 
we  attempted  to  navigate,  and  successfully  ran, 
after  first  going  above,  and  walking  down  on  the 
rocks,  to  make  a  critical  examination  of  the 
rapid,  for  both  of  us  were  complete  strangers  to 
the  river  and  had  not  the  almost  essential  native 
advantage  of  knowing  where  lay  each  ugly 
water-covered  rock  and  disconcerting  whirlpool. 
The  second  rapid  on  examination  offered  no 
canoe  passage,  so  we  portaged  the  canoe  and  kit 
overland,  and  camped  for  the  night  at  the  lower 


48      ON  THE  GREAT  CHURCHILL  RIVER 

end  of  the  portage  path,  which  was  but  a  faint, 
almost  invisible  passage  down  the  forested  shore, 
used  once  a  year,  perhaps,  in  this  thinly  popu- 
lated, almost  depopulated  land,  by  some  three 
dozen  Indians  journeying  to  the  rendezvous  of 
the  official  Treaty  Party  at  lie  a  la  Crosse  to 
draw  Treaty  money,  and  hold  a  big  powwow. 

The  following  morning  we  resumed  our  journey 
and  were  soon  to  learn  that  we  had  rapids  and 
typical  hard  river  voyaging  to  contend  with. 
During  the  morning  we  encountered  three  rapids. 
The  first  we  ran;  and  shortly  after  leaving  it 
behind  we  passed,  on  the  north  shore,  the  sand- 
bars which  lie  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mudjatick 
River.  The  Mudjatick,  or  Bad  Caribou  River, 
noteworthy  because  it  affords  a  possible  pass- 
age, (though  a  hard  one,  to  Lake  Athabasca, 
rises  in  the  height  of  land  north  of  latitude  57° 
and  flows  south  about  eighty  miles  in  a  shallow 
winding  channel  before  it  joins  into  the  Churchill 
River.  Thereafter  followed  other  two  rapids 
both  too  dangerous  to  run,  so  at  each  we  let  the 
canoe  down  the  less  turbulent  water  close  in  to  the 
south  shore  :  a  process  we  accomplished  by  wad- 
ing hip-deep,  at  bow  and  stern  of  the  canoe,  over 
the  uneven,  bouldered,  hole-dented  bed  of  the 
stream  ;  leading  the  canoe  slowly  and  laboriously 
downstream,  holding  against  the  rude  strength 
of  the  downpouring  passing  current. 

About  midday,  after  a  strenuous  morning,  Joe 
and  I  landed.  I  had  secured  three  museum 
specimens  and  nine  mallards'  eggs  en  route. 
We  lunched  on  the  eggs — finishing  the  lot  at  a 
sitting.  I  assure  you  that  if  one  works  hard  one 


PELICAN   RAPIDS  49 

eats  heartily  in  the  North.  It  was  June  2 — 
where  we  lunched  on  shore  Pin  Cherry  Trees 
were  in  blossom  and  Wild  Strawberries,  and 
tiny  purple  Violets  were  in  flower ;  charming 
colours  before  the  great  background  of  ever- 
green forest. 

In  late  afternoon,  when  nearing  the  head  of 
Pelican  Rapids,  we  came  quietly  downstream  on 
two  moose  standing  in  the  cool  water,  browsing 
contentedly  on  a  bec^  of  Water-lilies  in  the 
solitude  of  a  sheltered  bay.  Had  it  been  open 
season,  or  had  meat  been  necessary  to  our  exist- 
ence at  the  time,  they  would  have  fallen  easy 
prey.  WTien  our  scent  was  borne  to  them  they 
left  the  water,  and  vanished  in  the  forest. 

Before  sundown  we  portaged  Pelican  Rapids — 
a  roaring,  tumbling  force  of  water  that  one  heard 
rumbling  in  the  distance  long  before  one  came 
upon  it.  It  was  a  wild,  angry  rapid,  typical  of 
many  on  this  mighty  river — agitated  waves  when 
eager  escaping  waters  rushed  together  through 
the  narrow,  bouldered  gateway ;  long,  swinging 
swells  curling  at  the  crests  and  breaking  in  silver 
foam ;  great  waves  rising  over  boulders  and 
rocks,  and  plunging  into  the  depth  beyond. 
Below  the  entrance,  ere  the  force  died  out  in  the 
great  deep  pool  at  the  bottom,  were  boiling 
whirlpools ;  and  backwater  eddies — swinging  round 
to  the  sides  of  the  main  stream  and  back  into  the 
head- waters  of  the  angry  turmoil.  On  the  shores 
were  dark  rocks  tilted  at  all  angles  and  broken 
limbs  of  trees  stuck  in  crevices  where  high  water 
had  lodged  them.  Everywhere  the  waters  were 
blue  in  the  sunlight  except  where  they  broke 


50      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

in  silvery  foam — an  inspiring  scene  of  sound  and 
motion  and  colour.  .  .  .  And  there  was  an  old 
friend  :  the  Tennessee  Warbler,  whose  kind  par- 
ticularly haunt  the  shores  of  rapids,  singing 
joyfully  of  summer  and  boundless  activity,  seem- 
ingly in  competition  with  the  prolonged  purring 
sound  of  the  rapid,  which  clearly  pleases  him. 

Next  morning  we  passed  the  great  marshes  at 
the  entrance  to  Pelican  Lake — marsh  that  teemed 
with  duck  in  the  full  pride  of  brilliant  summer 
plumage.  Mallard,  Pintail,  and  Shovellers  were 
the  most  abundant,  and  Green-winged  Teal  and 
Golden-eye  in  lesser  numbers.  In  addition  to 
those  birds  there  were  great  colonies  of  Common 
and  Black  Terns  nesting  among  the  marsh-reeds, 
and  many  Yellow-headed  Blackbirds — hoarse, 
shrill-voiced  reed-birds,  piebald  in  aspect,  with 
their  black  and  yellow  markings  of  sharp  contrast. 

The  air  was  dotted  with  swinging  groups  of 
birds  we  had  disturbed,  winging  their  way  for- 
ward, then  backward  ;  while  the  water  and  marsh 
held  many  more.  It  transpired,  as  the  months 
passed  and  we  travelled  on  through  lake  and 
river,  that  this  lake  (Pelican  Lake)  was  recalled 
as  the  one  containing  the  greatest  abundance  of 
waterfowl.  It  held,  however,  one  disappoint- 
ment— there  were  no  pelicans — at  least  none 
were  seen.  Possibly  they  once  inhabited  the 
locality,  as  the  name  of  the  lake  implies,  but  now 
have  departed. 

Pelican  Lake  was  very  irregular  on  all  sides, 
with  long  bays  biting  deep  into  the  mainland  ; 
also  there  were  many  wooded  islands,  mostly  of 
fair  elevation,  standing  well  out  of  the  water. 


PELICAN  LAKE  51 

Small  poplars  grew  chiefly  on  those  islands  and 
a  few  white  birch,  while  here  and  there  a  group 
of  spruce  and  pine  showed  darkly,  and  above  the 
tops  of  the  other  trees.  Willows  bordered  the 
narrow  beach  of  light  granite  stones,  which 
marked  the  line  between  water  and  soil. 

On  Pelican  Lake  we  encountered  difficulties. 
Crossing  it  in  the  canoe  we  faced  a  heavy  head  wind 
and  struggled  against  large  waves  which  the  heavily 
laden  canoe  rode  badly,  for  she  rose  stiffly  to  the 
crests  of  the  waves  and  pitched  heavily  into  the 
hollows  between.  We  shipped  more  water  than 
was  comfortable  and,  once  or  twice,  shipped  it 
in  ugly  fashion  until  we  feared  damage  to  our 
canvas-protected  stores,  which  lay  packed  in  the 
centre  of  the  canoe,  if  not  a  trifle  anxious  for  our 
own  safety.  Finally,  about  3  p.m.,  we  were 
able  to  reach  an  island,  and  put  ashore  to  wait 
until  the  wind  should  drop. 

At  6  p.m.  the  wind  had  moderated  and  we  were 
able  to  go  on,  and  reached  the  east  shore  of  the 
lake.  But  then  again  we  were  in  difficulties,  for 
along  those  shores  we  searched  until  dark  with- 
out finding  the  "blind"  (hidden)  outlet  from 
the  lake. 

It  had,  altogether,  been  a  disappointing  day 
of  hard  work  and  little  progress. 

Next  morning  early  we  found  the  channel 
through  to  Primeau  Lake,  but  again,  during  the 
day,  we  were  in  trouble,  for  in  the  afternoon  we 
toiled  up  a  deep  bay  which  in  the  end  blankly 
terminated,  and  it  took  us  until  evening  to  return 
to  the  position  of  our  mistake.  On  a  great 
many  waterways  of  the  north,  if  without  an 


52      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

Indian  guide  who  knows  the  territory,  it  is  a 
grave  problem  to  determine  what  to  do  when  con- 
fronted with  two,  or  even  three,  long  channels 
of  water,  to  the  terminus  of  which  the  eye  cannot 
see,  and  decide  which  is  the  one  which  holds  some- 
where in  its  shores  (secreted,  perhaps,  in  yet 
another  bay  off  the  main  bay)  the  river  outlet. 
Sometimes,  on  the  dead  water  of  the  lake  at  a 
shore  point,  or  at  a  stone,  or  at  weeds,  it  is 
possible,  on  close  examination,  to  find  the 
slightest  of  down-flowing  current  passing  the 
stationary  object ;  and  then  one  may  be  positive 
that  one  is  following  the  right  course.  At  other 
times  it  is  one's  good  luck  to  hear  the  faint  rumble, 
like  a  rising  puff  of  wind  in  the  trees  (which  one 
must  be  careful  not  to  confuse  it  with),  of  a  dis- 
tant rapid  or  waterfall,  and  know  that  where  it 
arises  is  the  river.  There  is  yet  another  sign 
which  sometimes  gives  one  comfort  when  current 
and  sound  fail,  and  that  is  some  mark  of  Indian 
travel  on  shore  :  a  willow  or  tree  from  which  an 
axe  has  robbed  some  branches  and  left  the  wounded 
ends,  the  black  ash,  or  a  burnt  stump,  of  an  old 
camp-fire,  or,  best  sign  of  all,  a  discarded  teepee — 
for  those  elementary,  pole-framed,  cone-shaped 
habitations  of  the  native  nomads  are  seldom, 
if  ever,  erected  except  somewhere  on  an  Indian 
main  "  roadway."  But  there  are  times  when  all 
those  signs  are  wanting  and  one  must  simply 
trust  to  Providence  when  confronted  with  the 
puzzling  irregularity  of  the  shore. 

The  following  morning,  June  5,  we  found  our 
course  soon  after  pushing  off.  Below  Primeau 
Lake  we  ran  Crooked  Rapid  and  part  of  Knee 


BALD   EAGLES'   NEST  53 

Rapid,  after  making  a  short  portage  over  the 
rocks  at  its  head  where  the  first  inrush  of  water 
broke  angrily  over  a  rocky  dip  in  elevation.  We 
had  not  long  left  Knee  Rapid  when  a  Black  Bear 
was  sighted  on  the  north  shore,  wading  in  the 
water  in  search  of  fish,  as  is  a  common  habit  with 
them  in  summer.  The  canoe  was  run  ashore, 
and  as  the  animal  ambled  into  the  woods,  for  it 
had  seen  or  scented  us,  I  tried  a  long  shot  at  about 
300  yards,  but  failed  to  bring  it  down. 

The  greater  part  of  the  day  was  spent 
travelling  a  zigzag  course  through  Knee  Lake,  a 
long,  extensive  sheet  of  water,  and  we  camped 
toward  sundown  well  up  to  the  north-east  end, 
where  should  lie  the  river  outlet. 

Knee  Lake,  like  the  others,  was  very  irregular 
in  shape,  and  contained  many  islands.  The  rough 
hilly  north  shore  was  often  less  densely  wooded, 
and,  here  and  there,  ranged  along  the  lake 
for  a  considerable  distance,  were  bare  grass-hills 
scantily  scrub-grown. 

During  the  afternoon  we  came  on  a  pair  of 
Bald  Eagles  nesting  on  a  prominent  point  on  the 
west  shore  of  a  side-channel  on  Knee  Lake. 
The  huge,  twig-constructed  nest  was  on  the  top 
of  a  decayed  spruce  tree,  and  contained  one  well- 
grown  young  bird. 

To-day  was  a  lean  one  for  securing  specimens. 
I  note  that  it  was  remarkable  that  I  saw  no  hawks 
in  this  territory,  and  had  not  seen  one  since  leaving 
Lake  He  a  la  Crosse — though  up  to  that  time 
I  had  seen  a  fair  number  and  had  secured  one  or 
two  skins.  It  bears  out  that  which  I  have  always 
experienced  in  Canada — that  birds  are  remarkably 


54      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

local,  principally  because,  in  my  humble  opinion, 
in  such  a  vast  country,  they  are  free  to  select 
ground  of  nature  most  attractive  to  their  habits 
of  feeding,  and  most  remote  from  their  natural 
enemies.     I    do    not    include    man    and   gun  as 
"  natural  "    enemies,  for  they  have  invaded  the 
country  after  the  habits  of  the  birds  were  inherent. 
Large  numbers  of  some  species,  such  as  geese  and 
cranes,  have  had  the  wisdom  to  seek  new  haunts 
north   of  the   line   of  civilisation.     All   of    the 
edible    species    that    remain    within    the  settled 
country,  such  as  Sharp-tailed  Grouse,  Pinnated 
Grouse,  Ruffed  Grouse,  ducks  of  many  species, 
geese,  and  cranes — all  are  diminishing,  some  even 
threatened  with  extinction,  like  the  buffalo  and 
the  Prong-horned  Antelope ;    and    that   though 
the  legitimate  shooting  season  is  open   but  for 
two  brief  weeks  in  the  Fall  (autumn)  of  the  year. 
With  extracts  from  my  field  diary  I  will  follow 
out    the    incidents    of   the    remaining  days    we 
voyaged    down    the    Churchill    River;    extracts 
which  it  is  my  hope  will  continue  to  serve  to  bring 
before  the  mind's  eye   of  the   reader  something 
of  the  varied,  wholly  outdoor  and  untrammelled 
aspect  of  this  great  northern  waterway. 

June  6. — Morning  dull,  threatening  rain,  high 
wind  from  north-west.  Astir  before  5  a.m. 
Cooked  breakfast,  and,  as  customary,  the  one 
meanwhile  struck  tent  and  packed  canoe  ready 
for  embarking,  while  the  other  was  employed  over 
the  fire.  Mosquitoes  were  very  troublesome 
when  we  came  ashore  last  evening,  and  worried 
us  all  through  the  night.  At  all  times  at  this 


MOSQUITO  PESTS  55 

season  mosquitoes  are  in  great  numbers,  but 
when  they  are  particularly  bad — swarming  and 
biting  with  unshakable  persistency — it  is  a  certain 
sign  that  rain  is  near.  Those  insects,  and  black- 
flies  and  sand-flies  at  times,  are  the  bane  of  summer 
travel  in  Canadian  north  territory.  Out  on  the 
water  they  never  trouble  one,  but  on  shore  they 
pounce  on  one  from  the  vegetation  that  is  there, 
and  are  a  constant  jar  to  one's  full  pleasure.  One 
should  never  set  out,  as  I  thoughtlessly  did, 
without  mosquito  curtains  ;  I  would  never  again 
overlook  to  prepare  against  them.  True  they 
carry  no  disease,  but  in  numbers  and  capacity 
to  torment  they  far  outstrip  the  malarial  mosquito 
in  Africa  (Anopheles)  in  my  experience. 

We  reached  the  east  end  of  Knee  Lake  between 
9  and  10  a.m.  There  were  there,  close  to  the 
exit  from  the  lake,  a  small  log  cabin  or  two,  on 
the  north  shore  and  on  an  island.  Those  were 
completely  deserted  of  Indian  or  halfbreed  :  no 
sound  was  there,  no  contented  smoke  curled 
above  the  thatched  roof  to  give  welcome  to  lonely 
voyageur  hungry  for  companionship  and  the  sound 
of  human  voices.  The  inhabitants  had  gone,  the 
men  taking  with  them  their  womenfolk  and  their 
children,  even  their  dogs.  They  had  gone,  per- 
haps, to  meet  the  Treaty  Party,  perhaps  to  pitch 
their  teepees  at  some  favoured  summer  haunt 
where  fish  and  fowl  and  beast  were  sufficient  to 
feed  them  plentifully. 

Invariably  those  log  cabins  of  Indians  are 
built — as  those  here  were — on  a  site  remarkable 
for  the  long  stretches  of  water  it  commands  : 
the  sharp  bend  of  a  river,  or  the  junction  of  two 


56      ON   THE   GREAT    CHURCHILL   RIVER 

rivers,  is  most  often  chosen,  where  the  hunter 
inhabitant  can  obtain,  without  moving  from  his 
door,  an  extensive  view  down  at  least  two  great 
watercourses,  and  see,  perhaps,  the  passing  of 
worthy  game,  and,  seeing  them,  would  then  set 
out  in  chase. 

At  this  point  of  Knee  Lake  there  was  a  pair  of 
ospreys  nesting ;  magnificent,  masterful  birds — 
the  "  Fish  Eagle  "  of  the  country.  Their  nest 
was  on  the  top  of  a  dead  jack  pine  on  a  drear 
hillside  scorched  at  some  not  long  past  date  by  a 
runaway  bush  fire.  There  grew  there  now,  among 
the  charred  and  blackened  debris,  the  little  ad- 
venturings  of  new  green  growth  ;  an  uprising  of 
little  living  things  about  the  feet  of  the  grave, 
grey,  dismantled  masts  of  trees  that  were  dead  and 
but  monuments  now  of  lives  once  lived. 

When  we  were  nearing  the  osprey's  nest  the 
male  bird  was  seen  to  approach,  against  the  wind 
on  powerful  wings,  carrying  in  his  talons  as  food 
for  the  sitting  female  a  small  pike  about  twelve 
inches  long.  This  fish  he  carried  not  broadwise 
to  the  wind,  but  held  parallel  to  the  body,  and 
with  the  head  facing  forward,  so  that  it  offered 
little  resistance  to  the  wind. 

About  10.30  a.m.  we  passed  the  mouth  of 
Haultain  River,  a  stream  from  the  north,  about 
300  feet  wide  where  it  empties  into  the  Churchill 
River  over  shallow  sand-bars.  Here,  in  the  marsh 
west  of  the  river  mouth,  I  spent  some  time  ob- 
serving bird-life.  Five  specimens  were  collected 
during  the  afternoon,  and  three  nests  of  eggs 
were  found. 

It  commenced  to  rain  after  midday  and  we  got 


A   BALD    EAGLE'S   EYRIE. 


56] 


MANY  BIRDS   OBSERVED  57 

miserably  wet  before  evening.  During  the  day 
the  following  birds  were  observed :  Leconte 
Sparrow,  Swamp  Sparrow,  Yellow-bellied  Fly- 
catcher, Yellow  Warbler,  Tree  Swallow,  Red- 
winged  Blackbird,  Belted  Kingfisher,  Snipe, 
Bittern,  Mallard,  Shoveller,  Golden-eye,  Blue- 
winged  Teal,  Holboell  Grebe,  Black  Tern,  Crow, 
Raven,  Osprey. 

June  7  (Sunday). — Awoke  this  morning  after 
a  miserable  night  passed  on  water-soaked  ground 
in  damp  blankets.  The  activities  of  the  mos- 
quitoes on  the  5th  were  sure  forecast  of  rain,  and 
so  rain  had  come.  It  rained  all  day,  and  we  did 
not  attempt  to  move  on  but  sat  tight  within 
the  shelter  of  my  small  silk  tent.  I  skinned  the 
specimens  I  had  collected  yesterday,  while  Joe 
did  his  best  to  nurse  a  spluttering  fire  before  the 
tent-door  for  the  cooking  of  meals.  Rain  can  be 
a  most  disconcerting  element  when  canoeing  and 
camping-out  in  this  fashion,  far  from  any  settle- 
ment ;  a  steady  downpour  will  very  soon  find  a 
way  into  every  conceivable  corner,  no  matter 
how  well  you  have  fancied  you  have  taken  pre- 
cautions against  it,  and  the  result  is  that  before 
long  you  sit  among  your  far-carried,  dearly 
valued  possessions  and  see  them  in  a  state  of 
half  ruin  before  your  eyes.  Then  only  sunshine 
can  lift  your  depression,  and,  in  spite  of  your 
unpleasant  experience,  when  Old  Sol  breaks 
through  again  you  find  yourself  gaily  arranging 
your  possessions  before  its  heat,  and  looking 
out  on  the  world  with  a  freshened  optimism. 
Rain  was,  however,  by  no  means  a  constant 
tyrant,  for  we  experienced  a  beautiful  summer 


58      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

of  sunshine   with    days    of  rain  a   rare    excep- 
tion. 

June  8. — Morning  overcast  after  a  night  of 
heavy  rain,  but  the  heavy  clouds  cleared  about 
10  a.m.  and  the  day  thenceforward  was  bright 
and  pleasant;  the  air  crystal-clear  as  the  spark- 
ling water,  the  whole  North  world  pure  with  the 
intense  cleanness  of  virginity. 

To-day  we  passed  down  the  rapidless  stretch 
of  river  between  Knee  Lake  and  Sandy  Lake  : 
a  stretch  sub-named  Grassy  River  on  account  of 
the  waterway  for  some  distance  wending  its  way, 
in  three  separate  channels,  through  broad  green 
marsh.  The  chief  incident  of  the  day  was  the 
finding  of  a  colony  of  nesting  terns  on  a  low,  plant- 
barren,  wave-washed  island,  full  note  of  which 
is  given  in  the  subsequent  chapter  of  "  Field 
Notes."  While  on  the  island,  some  time  was 
spent  photographing  nests,  and,  thus  delayed,  we 
were  still  short  of  Sandy  Lake  when  night  ap- 
proached and  necessitated  our  pitching  camp  on 
the  river  bank. 

June  9. — We  breakfasted  in  rain,  and  struck 
camp,  to  continue  our  canoe  journey  under  the 
same  discomforting  conditions.  An  hour  after 
leaving  camp  we  emerged  into  Sandy  Lake,  and 
throughout  the  day  voyaged  through  it.  Sandy 
Lake  bore  out  its  name,  containing  many  low 
broad  points  and  bays  of  beautiful  sand.  Indeed, 
so  clean  and  white  were  the  shores  in  many 
places  that  the  lake  was  thereby  of  pleasing  fresh 
aspect  in  comparison  with  those  already  navi- 
gated. Here,  too,  and  on  account  of  the  compo- 
sition of  the  beach,  shore  birds  were  found  more 


AN   INDIAN   SETTLEMENT  59 

numerously  than  anywhere  previously,  and  I 
collected  ten  specimens ;  among  them  a  pair  of 
Sabine's  Gulls,  of  which  I  saw  three.  These  are 
noteworthy,  for  they  were  the  only  specimens 
of  this  species  encountered  throughout  the  expedi- 
tion, and  possibly  they  are  quite  rare  in  this 
inland  territory.  Further  west,  some  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  Ernest  Thompson  Seton  and 
Edward  A.  Preble  made  an  expedition  in  1907 
down  the  Athabasca  River  and  adjacent  waterways, 
and  in  their  list  of  birds  observed  do  not  record 
having  seen  a  single  specimen.1 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  close  to  an  island  in  the 
north-east  corner  of  Sandy  Lake,  we  came  on  a 
small  settlement  containing  fourteen  inhabi- 
tants. Here  (in  the  rude,  unkept  clothing  of  an 
outdoor  exile),  we  found  a  white  trapper,  by  name 
Hans  Madson — a  Danish-American  married  to  an 
English-Cree  halfbreed  woman.  Not  an  old  man, 
this  ruddy  haired  Dane  of  perhaps  five-and- 
thirty,  yet  were  the  customs  of  his  race  well- 
nigh  erased  and  his  disposition  imbued  with 
the  habits  and  mannerisms  of  his  redskin  asso- 
ciates :  only  in  colouring  and  speech  did  trace 
of  his  origin  remain ;  so  far  had  he  grown  into 
the  likeness  of  his  surroundings.  His  cabin  was 
empty  of  every  luxury  of  food,  and  his  eyes  lit 
hungrily  when  opportunity  was  given  him  to 
receive  a  portion  of  sugar  and  prunes  in  exchange 
for  dried  moose  meat ;  for  his  daily  food  was 
little  more  than  dried  meat,  and  fresh  or  dried 
fish,  cooked  without  seasoning  and  eaten  without 
vegetable  or  bread  of  any  kind.  He  was  undis- 

1  The  Arctic  Prairies,  by  E.  Thompson  Seton. 


60      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

guisedly  delighted  to  see  us,  and  told  us  we  were 
the  only  whites  he  had  seen  since  the  Fall  of  the 
previous  year,  when  he  had  been  out  to  Prince 
Albert.  He  begged  us  to  camp  the  night  near 
him,  and  this  we  did,  sharing  with  him  as  real 
a  European  meal  as  scant  stores  could  furnish, 
much  to  his  satisfaction  and  gratitude. 

The  boom  in  black  fox  farming  was  at  its  height 
in  1913  and  1914,  and  every  good  fox  that  could 
be  trapped  alive  in  the  wilderness  was  being  caged 
and  sent  east  to  Prince  Edward  Island  for  breed- 
ing purposes.  Like  every  other  white  trapper 
in  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  Hans  Madson  was 
"  fox  crazy  "  :  smitten  with  the  mad  desire  for 
great  riches,  as  men  are  swept  off  a  sane  balance 
who  join  in  a  great  gold  rush.  He  was  obsessed 
with  the  thought  of  digging  out  dens  of  priceless 
black  and  silver  cubs,  or  the  offspring  of  black  or 
cross  parents.  Now,  however,  the  cub  season  was 
over,  and  his  chance  of  success,  for  the  time,  was 
gone.  He  had  had  no  great  luck — a  few  reds  and 
cross  foxes  he  had  taken — but,  undaunted,  still 
he  talked  of  the  rare  animals  he  had  seen  on 
frozen  lakes  and  in  snowed-up  forest,  and  of 
others  his  Indian  friends  had  reported ;  and  he 
dreamed  with  true  optimistic  sporting  keenness 
of  the  possibilities  of  success  when  the  next  early 
spring  should,  approach. 

June  10. — In  the  early  morning  we  bade  good- 
bye to  Hans  Madson,  who  looked  on  with  melan- 
choly visage  at  our  departure  :  God  knew  when 
next  he  would  see  a  white  man  !  Not  likely 
another  to  pass  his  way  this  summer,  nor  any 
summer,  for  he  had  pitched  his  camp  off  the  route 


SNAKE   LAKE  61 

of  the  red  man's  trail — off  such  trails  as  rare, 
adventurous,  self-exiled  wanderers  of  the  white 
race  turn  curiously  along  one  or  two  days  in  a 
score  of  years.  In  olden  days  Indian  tracks 
from  the  Reindeer  River — Foster  River  territory 
radiated  from  the  Hudson  Bay  post  at  lie  a  la 
Crosse,  and  this  stretch  of  the  Churchill  River 
was  a  well-used  main  route,  but  later,  a  shorter 
and  easier  north  route  developed  to  the  Churchill, 
from  Cumberland  House  via  Sturgeonweir  River 
to  Frog  Portage,  and  from  Prince  Albert  via 
Montreal  River  and  Lac  la  Ronge  to  Stanley 
Mission  Post. 

Soon  after  we  had  bidden  farewell  to  Madson 
the  canoe  entered  the  short  stretch  of  river  that 
led  on  to  Snake  Lake  and  we  ran  Snake  Rapid, 
the  only  rough  water  on  our  course  to-day. 
Thenceforward  the  day  was  occupied  in  travell- 
ing through  Snake  Lake,  a  lake  of  some  twenty- 
one  miles  length  from  western  to  eastern  extreme. 
The  shores  of  this  lake  had  some  prominent  forma- 
tions of  vertical  sand-bank,  or  small  cliffs ; 
especially  on  the  north-east  shore.  During  the 
day  much  bird-life  was  observed,  and  some  nests 
and  eggs  collected  at  points  we  landed  at.  To- 
ward evening  we  camped  well  to  the  east  of 
Snake  Lake  within  view  of  a  solitary  deserted 
winter  post  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  This 
day  witnessed  a  favourable  change  in  the  weather, 
for  about  noon  the  rain,  which  had  been  with  us 
for  the  last  four  days,  gave  place  to  clearing  skies 
and  periods  of  sunshine.  Charming  was  the 
evening  at  our  night  camp  :  late  western  sun- 
light rested  with  golden  richness  on  the  eastern 
6 


62      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

wooded  shores,  while  below  the  curving,  chang- 
ing shore-line  the  broad  lake  water  lay  becalmed 
and  wholly  placid  and  blue,  and  a  perfect  mirage 
of  leaved  forest,  scarred  banks,  spotless  pebbles, 
and  dainty  sandpipers  was  reflected  on  the  imme- 
diate lake  margin.  Overhead — with  similar  instan- 
taneous sight,  and  marvellous  quick-changing 
flight  of  Swift  or  Swallow — swinging,  plunging, 
rising  through  the  cool,  balmy,  rain-purified 
air,  flew  a  pair  of  Nighthawks,  feeding  on  insects 
the  while  they  emitted  their  hoarse,  grating  call, 
which  is  associated  with  summer  evenings  any- 
where in  Canada  ;  though  perhaps  most  familiar 
of  all  to  those  who  camp  outdoors  by  lake  or  forest. 
Such  sounds,  and  a  few  others,  are  inseparable 
from  Canadian  wilderness ;  typical  in  their  own 
country  as  the  call  of  the  Curlew  or  peevish 
Lapwing  on  the  dreary,  wind-swept,  highland 
moors  of  the  British  Isles  :  such  the  maniacal, 
laughing  cry  of  the  Loon  (the  Great  Northern 
Diver)  heard  on  nearly  all  backwood  freshwater 
lakes  ;  such  the  eerie  wolf-howl  of  the  Coyote  on 
the  western  plains. 

June  11. — A  day  of  perfect  weather — very  plea- 
sant for  canoeing.  Progress  to-day  was  marred 
by  our  missing  our  true  course  when  east  of  the 
deserted  Hudson  Bay  Cabin.  There  we  entered 
a  long  false  bay  to  the  south  of  the  turn  beyond 
the  Post  and  had  three  hours'  fruitless  paddle  to 
and  from  its  blank  extreme  before  we  were  again 
back  on  an  open  course,  where  we  discovered  a 
slight  sign  of  current  to  definitely  point  the  way. 

About  3.30  p.m.  we  entered  Sandfly  Lake,  a 
lake  of  lesser  size  than  Snake  Lake.  This  proved 


SANDFLY   LAKE  63 

again  to  be  a  lake  containing  a  great  many 
islands  similar  to  Shagwenaw,  Pelican,  and  Knee 
Lakes  of  those  we  had  thus  far  voyaged  through 
on  the  Churchill.  Some  of  the  islands  were  of 
fair  elevation  and  were  wooded,  others  were  low- 
lying  surfaces  of  rock  and  boulders  with  a  scant, 
ill-thriven  growth  of  grass.  We  landed  at  a  group 
of  the  latter  where  large  colonies  of  terns  and  gulls 
were  nesting.  Of  those  I  made  observations  and 
notes,  and  collected  a  few  rare  shore-birds. 
Before  departing  we  gathered  some  fresh  eggs  to 
augment  our  food  supplies,  counting  them  a 
great  treat  since  they  were  a  change  from  our 
regular  diet  of  bannock,  salt  pork,  wild  duck,  and 
pike.  Pike  and  black  and  red  Suckers  were  the 
only  fish  I  caught  on  the  Churchill  River — no 
trout  were  seen  ;  not  even  on  Trout  Lake. 

This  day  I  observed  a  single  Chipmunk — note- 
worthy, as  I  had  not  before  seen  this  pretty  little 
animal  on  the  Churchill.  A  Porcupine  was  also 
seen  landing  on  the  shore  after  swimming  across 
the  expanse  of  water  above  Sandfly  Lake.  He 
proceeded  to  climb  a  poplar  tree  to  feed  on  buds 
and  leaves.  This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which 
I  had  seen  this  species  in  the  water.  It  appeared 
not  to  relish  its  immersion,  for  it  shivered  with 
cold,  and  perhaps  with  fear,  when  it  landed. 

June  12. — We  reached  the  exit  from  Sandfly 
Lake  in  the  afternoon  and  passed  into  swift- 
flowing  river  where  bad  rapids  were  encountered 
and  canoe  navigation  became  impossible.  This 
meant  hard  labour,  but,  as  it  was  all  in  the  day's 
work  on  travel  of  this  kind,  we  stuck  to  our  task, 
with  the  result  that  three  rapids  were  overcome 


64      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

and  an  open  course  lay  before  us  at  camping  time. 
At  the  first  rapid — Pine  Portage — we  waded  into 
the  water  and  let  the  canoe  slowly  down  a  shallow 
branch  of  the  river  on  the  north  side ;  at  the 
second — Birch  Portage — we  portaged  the  canoe, 
stores,  and  specimens  overland  through  the  wood 
on  the  south  shore ;  and  at  the  third — Fall 
Portage — we  again  portaged,  but  only  over  a 
narrow  twenty-yard  rocky  neck,  to  evade  the  fall 
that  was  there,  for  the  water  below  was  navigable. 
To  travel,  as  we  did,  without  an  Indian  guide 
to  lead  exactly  over  the  recognised  route — which 
is  invariably  the  quickest  and  least  laboursome 
route,  and  the  outcome  of  knowledge  handed 
down  from  one  generation  to  another — meant 
that  when  no  human  trace  could  be  found  on 
shore,  such  as  an  old  portage  path,  when  naviga- 
ting rapids,  or  where  friction  of  feet  had  slightly 
whitened  a  vague  line  over  an  exposed  platform 
of  rock,  we  simply  had  to  act  on  blunt  individual 
judgment  in  accomplishing  our  journey ;  and 
blundered  on  occasions  and  gave  ourselves  extra 
labour.  On  rare  occasions  we  saved  labour,  as 
in  this  case,  for  a  small  map  I  possessed  stated 
that  there  were  four  portages  at  this  part  of  the 
river,  while  we  only  actually  made  two,  though 
a  third  would  have  been  necessary  had  we  not 
succeeded  in  letting  down  the  canoe  at  the  top 
rapid.  However,  travelling  guideless  as  a  rule 
increases  the  labour  and  risks,  and  certainly 
means  loss  of  time ;  yet,  even  so,  there  is  some- 
thing most  attractive  in  attaining  to  complete 
independence,  complete  freedom  from  reliance 
on  others,  which  is  most  typical  of  the  primitive 


SCOUTING  ALONE— INDIANS  APPRECIATION  65 

spirit  which  the  North  makes  known  to  you,  and 
approves.  And,  beyond  the  pleasure  it  gives 
to  be  able  to  go  where  you  list  through  the 
wilderness,  and  risk  what  you  list,  the  extra 
labour  you  undertake  has  behind  it,  as  all  labour 
that  is  difficult  must  have,  a  spiritual  satisfaction 
and  reward  :  for  among  red  men  or  black  in 
British  colonies,  the  prestige  of  our  race  is  surely 
upheld  by  those  who,  when  occasion  arises,  can 
stand  up  alone,  endure  alone,  and  accomplish 
alone,  admitting  no  weakness  to  the  eye  of  the 
critical  native.  Many  an  Indian  expressed  great 
surprise  at  my  travelling  unguided  through  their 
boundless  country.  Foolhardy  it  must  have 
seemed  to  them  who  knew  the  difficulties  and 
dangers ;  yet  none  called  me  a  fool.  Rather 
were  they  ready  to  be  my  friends — not  on  account 
of  myself,  but  because  their  simple  imagination 
painted  me  like  the  adventurous  White  Chiefs  of 
our  earliest  settlement,  who  wandered  far  and 
had  great  knowledge,  and  whom  they  were 
willing  to  serve  as  subjects. 

June  13. — Having  secured  some  specimens 
yesterday — among  them  an  adult  Northern  Bald 
Eagle — I  was  busily  employed  skinning  all 
morning. 

After  lunching  we  again  pushed  forward,  our 
course  swinging  well  into  the  north-east  up  the 
lake-like  expansion  that  lies  between  Sandfly 
Lake  and  Black  Bear  Island  Lake.  Passing  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  mouth  of  the  Foster  River 
— a  river  of  considerable  size  flowing  from  the 
north — no  sign  of  its  outlet  was  seen,  and  I  have 
since  learned  that  that  was  because  it  empties 


66      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

into  the  Churchill  in  the  bottom  of  a  deeply  inlet 
bay. 

Toward  evening  we  entered  Black  Bear  Island 
Lake  through  its  maze  of  channels  which  flow 
between  the  large  islands  that  block  its  entrance 
and  obscure  extensive  view.  Like  the  shadows  of  a 
big  problem  were  those  islands  which  were  crowded 
in  and  almost  made  prison  walls  about  us,  leaving 
us  anxious  to  solve  the  riddle  that  would  dis- 
cover the  doorway  of  escape  and  give  again  the 
freedom  of  the  open  road.  Nowhere  do  I  recall 
such  another  eerie,  shut-in  scene  as  this.  But  in 
an  hour  or  so  we  had  worked  our  way  through 
to  more  open  water  and  pitched  camp  for  the 
night  on  the  north  mainland  of  the  lake,  viewing, 
across  the  shimmering,  dead-calm  water,  and 
over  the  tree-covered  contour,  a  glorious  sunset 
among  grey  and  white  clouds  that  had  retired 
to  the  horizon  from  the  great  blue  open  sky. 

No  less  ungenerous  than  on  the  days  that  have 
gone  before  are  my  entries  and  remarks  this 
evening  on  mosquitoes  and  black  flies.  They 
give  no  peace  when  on  shore  :  they  truly  are  the 
curse  of  summer  travel  in  Canada. 

June  14. — A  lovely  morning  ;  calm,  and  clear, 
and  warm  ;  the  continuance  of  a  spell  of  fine 
weather  without  drawback  to  voyaging.  We 
did  not  leave  in  the  canoe  at  once  this  morning, 
but  explored  in  the  dark  forest  behind  camp 
among  fallen  limbs  and  trunks  lying  about  on 
the  rough,  hillocky,  moss-covered  underbed  of 
the  woods.  Many  of  the  trees  were  picturesquely 
lichen-grown  with  whitish,  close-clinging  plant, 
and  with  scattered  tufts  of  hairy,  moss-like,  pale- 


67 

green  plant.  At  the  edge  of  the  forest  was  an 
eighteen-inch  growth  of  green  grass  and  weeds. 
Forested  hills  sloped  upwards  from  the  north 
shore  of  Black  Bear  Island  Lake,  and  at  the 
summit  in  some  cases  an  outcrop  of  rock  and 
large  boulders  protruded  prominently.  The  lake 
was  some  fourteen  miles  in  length,  and  while 
we  remained  on  it  we  never  quite  forgot  its  some- 
what frowning,  shut-in  aspect.  Even  birds 
seemed  to  shun  the  neighbourhood,  for  few  were 
seen,  and  I  recorded  it  the  worst  I  had  so  far 
travelled  through  in  that  respect.  It  has  not 
been  common  with  me  to  hear  the  red  squirrel's 
chatter  in  this  territory,  but  here  I  heard  one 
to-day.  While  speaking  of  creature  sounds,  I 
am  reminded  that  it  was  on  this  lake  that  I 
first  noticed  the  absence  of  frog-croaking  in  the 
evenings,  and  it  was  not  until  reaching  Stanley 
Mission  on  June  23  that  they  were  again  heard. 
Unfortunately  I  was  too  busily  employed  with 
other  subjects  to  investigate  their  apparent 
absence  from  this  area — a  stretch  of  about  seventy 
miles  of  watercourse.  No  black  bears  were  seen, 
and  in  supporting  its  nomenclature  this  lake  was 
as  disappointing  as  Pelican  Lake.  Probably, 
when  the  course  of  the  Churchill  was  mapped,  a 
black  bear  was  seen  on  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
lake,  and  therefore  the  name — a  name  selected  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  without  perhaps  grasping 
any  very  great  and  permanent  characteristic. 
On  the  other  hand,  I,  in  my  haste  onward,  might 
easily  miss  such  a  characteristic,  did  it  in  reality 
exist,  therefore  it  is  merely  a  passing  personal 
.  impression  that  I  at  present  record.  Had  I  been 


C8      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

the  original  surveyor  I  think  I  would  have  chosen 
"  Eerie  Lake  "  as  name  for  this  strangely  silent 
expansion  of  dark  water,  wherein  were  closeted 
ghost-like  citadel  islands,  and  wherein  I  never 
quite  threw  off  the  impression  that  I  had  in- 
truded on  a  sanctuary  of  spooks  and  fairies  of 
long-past  ages. 

June  15. — Day  again  fine.  Noonday  sun  high 
overhead,  giving  the  broad  earth  fulness  of 
summer,  and  its  living  season  of  growth.  How 
blithely  it  lifts  the  spirit !  How  different  this  to 
the  sun's  low,  short  circuit  in  winter  over  land 
then  dormant ! 

Characteristic  of  the  country  are  the  cone- 
peaked  tops  of  Black  Spruce  on  the  sun-lit  hill- 
sides, their  branches  drooping  down  a  little  in 
extending  horizontally  outward ;  in  this  respect 
differing  from  the  White  Spruce,  which  is  more 
straightly  outgrowing. 

Passed  the  rapid  at  Birch  Portage  about  3  p.m. 
and  entered  Trout  Lake.  We  let  the  canoe 
down  through  the  troublesome  current  at  the 
top  of  this  rapid  and  ran  the  remainder.  We 
camped  for  the  night  on  Trout  Lake. 

It  is  now  twenty-four  days  since  we  left  He  a 
la  Crosse  Post. 

Joe  to-night  caught  a  pike  weighing  seven  and 
a  half  pounds  when  trolling  with  a  small  blue 
phantom  minnow. 

June  16. — Spent  till  noon  to-day  looking  for 
right  course  on  Trout  Lake.  Yesterday  headed 
out  north-easterly  in  following  the  small  survey 
map  in  my  possession,  but  found  no  outlet.  To- 
day, in  the  forenoon,  canoed  down  the  east  shore, 


A  STIFF   STORM  69 

poking  into  all  side-inlets — but  without  avail, 
and  we  lunched  at  Birch  Rapids,  from  whence  we 
had  started  yesterday.  From  there  we  set  out 
due  north,  and  found  our  course  through. 

About  2.30  p.m.  thunderstorm  and  squall  broke 
over  us  when  in  mid-lake,  and  gave  us  a  rough 
time  until  we  reached  inshore,  where  we  lay 
up  until  evening ;  then  travelling  onward,  when 
the  wind  went  down,  late  into  the  night.  We 
shipped  a  lot  of  water  in  mid-lake  when  struggling 
against  the  great  waves  that  arose,  and  at  one 
time  feared  for  the  safety  of  our  craft,  but 
finally  we  got  through  with  little  more  than  a 
thorough  wetting  to  our  persons,  the  stores  and 
specimens  saved  by  the  tarpaulin  which  I  always 
have  laced  over  the  canoe-centre  against  rain, 
or  spray  when  running  rapids.  Such  a  tarpaulin, 
and  a  light  platform  to  keep  the  kit  raised  off  the 
canoe  bottom,  are  essential  for  protection  against 
wet  on  long,  rough  journeys  of  this  kind. 

Saw  first  two  blooms  of  Wild  Rose  or  Briar 
to-day. 

Dragon-flies  are  now  about  the  shores,  and 
have  been  in  evidence  for  the  past  three  or  four 
days.  They  commonly  fly  back  and  forth  at 
height  of  the  tree-tops  (say  40  to  50  feet)  or  else 
very  low  around  the  roots  of  the  willows  on  shore  ; 
to  rest  on  occasions  out  of  the  breeze  on  the  sand 
in  the  bays. 

Daily  I  note  ornithological  observations,  and  con- 
tinue collecting  specimens,  but  these  are  omitted 
here  as  I  deal  with  them  in  a  later  chapter. 

June  17. — Up  at  3  a.m.  and  away  early  with  the 
desire  to  make  up  for  time  lost  on  Trout  Lake. 


70      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

Morning  very  dull  and  chilly,  with  wind  from 
the  east — -it  looked  like  rain,  but  the  sky  cleared 
later  in  the  day  and  there  was  none.  In  early 
morning  entered  the  north  channel  of  the  two 
riverways  which  run  past  the  large  island  which 
lies  between  Trout  and  Dead  Lake.  Here  we 
had  to  pass  four  rapids  ;  at  the  first  two,  Trout 
and  Rock  Trout  Rapids,  it  was  necessary  to  run 
ashore  above  and  portage  the  canoe  and  kit 
overland  to  quiet  water  below — laborious  work 
over  the  rough  ground  with  the  huge  loads  we 
piled  on  our  backs  to  lessen  as  far  as  possible 
the  number  of  journeys  back  and  forth  on  the 
portage  trail.  After  we  had  finished  at  the 
second  rapid  I  put  up  my  rod  and  fished  the 
deep,  swirling  pool  at  the  top  with  a  small 
minnow,  hoping  that  I  might  see  trout.  Here  I 
hooked  two  great  fish,  not  trout,  alas !  but  pike. 
The  first  one  finally  broke,  taking  the  whole  of 
my  tackle ;  the  second,  after  some  twenty  minutes' 
play  on  my  trout  rod,  I  landed — a  pike  weighing 
18  Ibs.,  measuring  3  ft.  5J-  in.  in  length.  Hitherto, 
until  that  canoe  voyage,  I  had  always  looked 
upon  pike  as  an  unclean,  poor-quality-food  fish  ; 
but  on  the  Churchill  River,  and  elsewhere,  we 
caught  those  fish  almost  daily  at  times,  and 
thoroughly  relished  eating  them.  Of  course, 
living  as  they  did  in  clean  cold  water,  those  fish 
were  of  particularly  good  quality,  and,  besides, 
real  hunger  cures  many  a  fanciful  aversion. 

Resuming  our  journey  we  ran  Light  Rock 
Rapid  and  the  nameless  one  below,  having  some 
exciting  moments  on  the  latter,  which  was 
stony  and  very  rapid,  and  somewhat  dangerous, 


GREAT  DEVIL  RAPIDS  71 

but  through  which  our  canoe  travelled  headlong, 
like  the  wind,  unscathed.  And  so  out  to  Dead 
Lake,  the  shores  of  which  were  high  and  rocky, 
timbered  as  usual  with  willows,  poplar,  spruce 
and  pine.  Camped  for  the  night  well  to  the 
north-east  of  Dead  Lake. 

During  the  day,  on  a  marsh  in  the  river,  we 
saw  a  fox  prowling,  searching  for  fish  or  water- 
fowl. Unaware  of  the  canoe  for  a  few  moments, 
the  animal  allowed  us  a  full  view  of  it,  then,  as  it 
saw  us,  but  a  glimmer  of  rusty  red  and  white- 
tipped  brush  as  it  leapt  ashore  with  great  bounds 
through  the  marsh  and  into  the  forest.  It  is 
not  often  that  a  fox  is  thus  seen  during  the  day 
in  summer,  in  the  open,  in  country  which  is  for 
them  one  vast  wilderness  of  forest  cover. 

June  18. — This  morning  we  paddled  out  into 
the  south-east  sun,  while  before  us  were  the 
silver-glinting,  sun-lit  waves  that  ran  merrily 
with  a  moderate  breeze.  The  short  remaining 
distance  on  Dead  Lake  was  soon  covered,  and  we 
again  entered  a  connecting  link  of  river — the 
link  between  Dead  Lake  and  Otter  Lake.  Here 
we  spent  all  day  getting  past  rapids  which  had 
principally  to  be  portaged. 

At  Great  Devil  Rapid,  the  first  of  the  rapids 
here,  we  encountered  tough  opposition  to  travel. 
Portage  was  necessary — a  portage  of  excessive 
length,  which  gave  us  incessant  labour  until 
lunch-time  in  effecting  the  transport  of  the  canoe 
and  stores  down  to  the  foot  of  the  dangerous 
water.  The  portage  was  sixty-four  chains  in 
length,  over  rough,  uneven  ground,  through 
forest  that  skirted  the  banks  of  the  river.  Joe, 


72      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

heavily  laden,  made  three  trips  over  this  portage, 
and  I  five,  for,  fitting  in  our  work  to  save  time, 
as  we  always  did,  I  went  back  for  a  load  while 
Joe  prepared  lunch,  and  again  for  a  final  one  when 
he  washed  up  and  packed  our  belongings  in  the 
canoe.  Therefore  the  distance  Joe  travelled  on 
that  rough  portage  amounted  to  almost  five  miles, 
and  mine  to  eight  miles — all  over  rough  country  ; 
and  one-half  of  those  distances,  the  down-trail 
half,  accomplished  while  carrying  heavy  loads. 
Thus  you  can  conceive  the  nature  of  hard  river 
work  which  the  voyageur  has  to  contend  with 
—work  so  hard  that  I  think  it  can  truthfully  be 
said  that  no  white  man  can  accomplish  it  who 
is  not  accustomed  to  it.  Hardened  though  I 
had  been  with  previous  outdoor  life  on  the  Saskat- 
chewan Plains,  I  well  remember  how  tiny  my  first 
packs  seemed  in  comparison  to  Joe's  60  Ibs.  to 
100  Ibs.,  and  how  I  perspired  and  laboured  with 
them,  and  how  impossible  it  seemed  that  I  should 
ever  be  able  to  carry  such  a  load  as  he  did.  Yet 
to-day  my  loads  could  equal  his — so  can  man 
harden  his  will  and  muscle  to  any  task  in  the 
face  of  necessity. 

Overcoming  Great  Devil  Rapid  was  our  morn- 
ing's work,  but  there  our  difficulties  were  by  no 
means  at  an  end,  for  we  found  we  had  yet  two 
more  portages  to  make  this  day,  each  necessitating 
the  unloading  of  the  entire  contents  of  the  canoe, 
the  carrying  of  heavy  loads  to  the  bottom  of 
each  portage,  and,  finally,  the  carefully  balanced 
repacking  of  everything  into  our  frail  craft,  so 
that  we  would,  each  time  we  embarked,  enter 
the  water  snugly  compact  and  weather-worthy. 


PIKE  STOLEN  BY  BEAR  73 

Below  the  third  portage  we  camped  for  the 
night,  after  having  there  cut  and  cleared  a 
portage  pathway  through  the  forest,  as  we  failed 
to  find  any  old  track  made  by  Indians.  The 
river  above  this  rapid  broke  into  more  than  one 
channel,  and  apparently  they  evade  this  last 
rapid  by  taking  through,  or  portaging,  at  one 
of  the  other  branches.  No  one  could  run  the 
water  we  encountered  in  a  canoe. 

Fished  with  fly  in  river  to-night,  but  saw  no 
sign  of  trout.  Caught  5-lb.  pike  on  minnow. 

Shot  two  specimens — a  Northern  Raven  and 
a  Grey-Cheeked  Thrush. 

June  19. — Mosquitoes  and  black  flies  were 
particularly  virulent  last  evening ;  it  was 
calm  and  close — omens  of  a  weather  change,  and 
sure  enough  all  to-day  it  rained  heavily.  In  the 
morning  we  decided  it  was  too  wet  to  travel 
on  account  of  portages  ahead  where  stores  would 
be  soaked  were  we  to  uncover  them  for  pack 
transport  overland. 

So  we  stayed  in  camp  all  day,  I  skinning  and 
looking  over  my  case  of  specimens,  Joe  cooking 
meals  over  a  spluttering  fire,  and  baking  a  few 
days'  supply  of  sour -dough  bannock  from  the 
sack  of  flour. 

The  5  Ib.  pike  caught  last  evening  was  gone 
in  the  morning  from  the  tree  on  which  it  had  been 
hung.  A  bear  had  taken  it,  for  claw  marks  were 
on  the  bark  where  the  thief  had  reached  up  to 
plunder  our  larder.  I  could  well  imagine  the 
brute  in  the  dead  of  night  contentedly  licking 
over  its  lips  when  it  had  finished  the  meal  as  it 
ambled  away  into  the  forest,  well  pleased  at 


74      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

scenting  and  finding  such  easy  prey  ;  perhaps 
almost  laughing  up  its  sleeve  at  our  impending 
discomfiture. 

June  20. — We  awoke  to  find  the  rain-storm 
past,  and,  refreshed  with  yesterday's  rest  in 
camp,  we  made  an  early  start,  embarking  at 
4.30  a.m. 

Soon  the  great  easy-flowing  river  narrowed, 
and  we  heard  ahead  the  unceasing  rumble  of 
falling  water — we  were  coming  to  Otter  Rapid. 
Arriving  there,  and  after  making  the  usual  care- 
ful survey  of  the  agitated  waters,  we  decided 
that  no  likely  channel  presented  itself  that  could 
be  run ;  therefore  we  would  attempt  to  let  the 
canoe  down  along  shore  very  close  in  to  the  bank. 
Into  the  water  we  got,  clothes  and  all,  till  it 
swept  high  and  forcibly  against  our  thighs,  one 
grasping  the  canoe  forward,  the  other  astern. 
The  shore  proved  rough  to  let  craft  down : 
strong  side-swinging  inshore  waves  and  eddies 
caught  and  strained  the  canoe,  and  almost  swept 
us  off  our  feet  as  slowly,  feeling  for  precarious 
foothold,  we  carefully  stepped  and  stumbled 
along  over  the  rocks  and  boulders  and  pockets 
of  the  river-bed.  Nearing  the  foot  of  the  rapid 
we  made  a  short  portage  across  a  rocky  point  and 
in  doing  so  cleared  the  last  stretch  of  troublesome 
water.  Soaked  to  the  skin  were  our  lower  bodies, 
from  our  jacket  pockets  down ;  but  we  never 
changed  into  dry  clothes,  for  we  were  inured  to 
this  sort  of  thing,  and  garments  were  few.  We 
shivered  somewhat  on  occasions  when  we  first 
got  into  the  canoe  again  after  being  in  the  water, 
but  soon  wind  and  sun,  and  the  heat  of  our 


FROM   ROCK  LAKE  TO  STANLEY          75 

bodies,  dried  up  the  clammy,  uncomfortable 
wetness.  Hardly  a  day  passed  that  we  kept 
dry  throughout. 

Below  Otter  Rapid  was  Otter  Lake,  and  by 
lunchtime  we  had  almost  completed  the  distance 
on  this  nine-mile  expanse  of  water,  which  was 
full  of  high,  wooded  islands  distributed  in  great 
profusion,  as  on  other  lakes  which  I  have  pre- 
viously described. 

About  2  p.m.,  on  entering  the  river  channel 
between  Otter  Lake  and  Rock  Lake,  we  en- 
countered more  rapids.  Here  again  we  took  like 
deer  to  the  water  and  let  the  canoe  down  Stony 
Mountain  Rapid ;  then  passing  on  to  Mountain 
Rapid,  which  we  had  to  portage.  Below  this 
latter  rapid  we  cooked  the  evening  meal ;  but 
did  not  camp,  for  we  were  neaiing  Stanley 
Mission,  and,  excitedly  eager  for  the  society  of 
mankind  after  our  long,  lonely  spell  on  the  canoe 
trail,  had  agreed  to  keep  on  and  attempt  to 
reach  the  post  to-night.  A  twelve-mile  sheet  of 
open  water  lay  before  us  through  Rock  Lake- — 
no  more  rapids  between  this  and  the  Post. 

Memorable  were  the  last  two  hours  outside 
Stanley  Mission.  Southwards  down  Rock  Lake 
we  paddled  in  the  full  content  of  a  perfect  Northern 
evening,  praying  wind  would  not  rise  to  detain  our 
eager  passage,  lilting  snatches  of  half-forgotten 
popular  songs,  snatches  of  Joe's  French-Canadian 
songs  of  the  Ottawa  River,  even  snatches  of 
the  old  Scotch  airs  of  boyhood  were  amongst 
our  mutual  repertoire  this  evening  :  each  timidly 
singing  with  rusty,  unskilled  voice,  but  each 
voicing  surely  the  lifting  of  spirits  from  the 


76      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

gloom  of  lonely  days  now  that  we  anticipated 
meeting  kinsfolk.  Without  fault,  as  luck  would 
have  it,  we  steered  a  true  course  down  the  lake, 
which  appeared  less  irregular  and  confusing  than 
many  of  the  others,  and  late  in  the  evening,  after 
hours  of  unceasing  paddling,  we  came  upon 
narrowing  shores  which  promised  the  foot  of  the 
lake  and  the  location  of  Stanley  Mission.  The 
light  in  the  western  sky  lay  low  on  the  horizon  ; 
the  shores  to  the  right  and  left  darkened  to  solid 
blackness ;  the  air  and  the  water  were  alike 
becalmed.  In  through  the  last  long  stretch  of 
lake  glided  the  solitary  canoe,  our  two  figures, 
dark  in  the  dusk,  rocking  slightly  as  we  flicked 
the  paddles  methodically  in  and  out  of  the 
water  with  easy,  almost  careless  strokes — action 
that  was  habit  after  months  on  the  water.  At 
last  two  light-coloured  dwellings  gleamed  dimly 
on  an  inland  bay  to  the  south,  promise  at  last  of 
the  settlement  we  sought.  Into  the  bay  we 
glided ;  noiselessly  we  stole  inshore  with  the 
stealth  peculiar  to  canoeing.  Eagerly  we  listened, 
but  no  human  voice  was  there  to  give  us  welcome 
— we  had  not  been  observed,  and  apparently  the 
inhabitants  had  gone  indoors  to  sleep.  .  .  . 
A  disconsolate  sled-dog,  on  a  distant  shore,  gave 
forth  a  long,  coyote-like  howl  .  .  .  then,  again, 
deadly  silence.  We  stopped  paddling  before  an 
Indian  teepee  that  was  just  discernible  on  the 
dark  shore  and  called  out.  No  answer  came.  .  .  . 
Again  I  spoke ;  footsteps  shuffled,  and  there 
was  a  murmur  of  gruff  voices  within  the  teepee ; 
then  an  Indian  hailed  us,  but  in  response  to  my 
question,  asking  direction  to  the  white  trader's 


77 

dwelling,  he  made  no  response — he  did  not 
understand  my  tongue.  .  .  .  Down  the  shore 
a  door  creaked,  suspense  a  moment,  then  a  clear 
woman's  voice  rang  out  in  English.  We  were 
dumbfounded.  Was  there  a  white  woman  here  ? 
There  must  be.  .  .  . l  Clearly  the  voice  directed 
us.  How  sweet  it  sounded  here,  how  welcome 
the  assuring  instructions  ! — for  we  were  dog-tired 
after  our  long  day  (eighteen  hours  in  all),  and 
eager  to  land  and  camp. 

June  21,  22,  and  23. — During  those  days  we 
camped  at  Stanley  Mission  Post ;  the  21st  was 
a  Sunday,  and  we  took  things  easy,  on  the  22nd 
much  time  was  spent  at  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's post,  replenishing  supplies,  while  on  the 
23rd  it  rained  heavily,  and  unfortunately  delayed 
our  restarting  for  a  day. 

Throughout  the  period  we  were  at  Stanley 
Post  our  chief  care  was  to  protect  our  tent  and 
belongings  from  the  sled-dogs  of  the  settlement. 
They  were  a  downright  pest,  so  bad  that  Joe 
and  I  had  to  take  it  in  turns  to  stay  at  home  and 
sit  on  the  doorstep,  so  to  speak,  to  defend  our 
belongings  against  their  attentions.  We  lost  a 
few  little  things  to  begin  with,  in  spite  of  our  care, 
but  the  culminatng  offence  that  brought  our 
wrath  down  on  them  was  when  on  the  night  of 
the  23rd  they  raided  our  tent  while  we  slept  and 
devoured  six  loaves  of  bread  which  the  half  breed 
woman  at  the  Post  had  that  day  kindly  baked 
for  us  as  a  particular  delicacy,  and  which  were 

1  Next  day  We  found  there  was  a  lady  teacher  at  the  Mission 
engaged  in  educating  dusky  half  breed  and  Indian  children, 
and  that  it  was  she  who  had  spoken  to  us. 

7 


•78      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 

to  have  been  a  toothsome  food  supply  for  the  next 
month  on  the  trail. 

There  was  no  Factor  at  the  Hudson  Bay  Post, 
for  he  was  south  at  the  Lac  La  Ronge  Post  at 
the  time,  and  purchase  of  stores  was  made 
through  his  halfbreed  wife,  who  spoke  Cree  well, 
but  only  a  very  little  broken  English,  so  that 
conversation  was  carried  on  with  difficulty  ;  for 
at  this  time  I  knew  but  a  few  words  of  Cree. 
There  was  only  one  more  Hudson  Bay  Post  be- 
tween Stanley  and  my  ultimate  objective  in  the 
north — that  of  Fort  Du  Brochet  at  the  far  end 
of  Reindeer  Lake — so  here  at  Stanley  I  replenished 
my  stores  to  the  extent  of  150  Ibs.  from  the 
standard  variety  common  to  all  fur-trading  posts. 
Selecting  a  limited  quantity  of  almost  every 
available  edible  article  in  the  store,  my  purchases 
were  : — Two  24  Ib.  sacks  of  flour,  25  Ibs.  "  Hard- 
tack "  ship  biscuits,  5  Ibs.  rice,  5  Ibs.  beans,  15  Ibs. 
bacon,  8  Ibs.  salt  pork,  5  Ibs.  sugar,  three  cans  of 
syrup,  3  Ibs.  evaporated  apples,  2  Ibs.  baking 
powder,  2j  Ib.  bag  of  fine  salt,  2  cakes  of  soap, 
£  Ib.  cut  tobacco,  J  Ib.  black  plug  tobacco,  three 
hundred  12-bore  cartridges,  one  spoon  troll  for 
pike,  one  tump  line  (for  roping  and  carrying  loads 
over  portage),  two  yards  mosquito  net,  and  one 
pair  of  socks. 

The  Provincial  Government  had  arranged  with 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  previous  to  my  depar- 
ture, to  take  care  of  and  transport  whatever  speci- 
mens I  collected  on  the  expedition,  so  at  their 
trading  post  I  packed  57  skins  and  47  eggs  for 
shipment,  those  I  had  taken  since  passing  lie  a 
la  Crosse  post. 


STANLEY  MISSION   POST  79 

Stanley  Mission  Post  is  at  an  abrupt  angle  of  the 
Churchill  River,  for  the  down-trending  waters  flow, 
with  current  unseen,  through  Rock  Lake  in  an  al- 
most due-south  direction  to  narrow,  then  expand 
to  broad  river  width, at  Stanley,  and  swing  again  in- 
to its  natural  easterly  course.  The  scattered  settle- 
ment is  on  both  banks  of  the  river,  north-west  and 
south-east ;  however,  the  greater  number  of  mud- 
plastered  cabins  and  canvas-covered  teepees  (wig- 
wams), and  the  Protestant  church  and  mission, 
are  on  the  north-west  shore.  There  is  one 
island  in  the  bay  opposite  the  north-west  shore. 
Wooded  hills  are  behind  the  settlement,  while 
on  the  low  ground  there  is  clay  soil  in  which 
good  potatoes  are  grown.  I  noticed  Dandelions 
growing  here,  and  surmised  they  had  been 
brought  up  at  some  time  in  potatoes  or  other 
foreign  seed.  Stanley  Mission  Post  is  the  largest 
settlement  north  of  the  Churchill  River.  It 
contains  about  two  hundred  inhabitants,  men, 
women,  and  children ;  and  about  twice  that 
number  of  dogs.  Very  few  of  the  natives  are 
pure  Indians,  nearly  all  being  a  variety  of  castes 
of  halfbreed.  All  speak  Cree.  The  Post,  owing 
to  its  geographical  position,  might  almost  be  said 
to  be  on  the  outer  fringe  of  the  Frontier,  for  it  is, 
though  distantly,  in  touch  with  the  large  northern 
town  of  Prince  Albert  through  the  route  which 
lies  directly  south,  some  two  hundred  miles  in 
length,  via  La  Ronge  Lake  and  Montreal  River  : 
therefore  the  race  of  Indians  is  affected  by  contact 
with  civilisation,  as  almost  all  Indians  are  to-day, 
except  in  the  most  remote  and  furthest-north 
territories  which  they  inhabit — affected  in  purity, 


80      ON  THE  GREAT  CHURCHILL  RIVER 

in  physique,  in  reserve,  and  the  quiet  grace  of 
race  which  indubitably  marks,  and  marked,  the 
full-blooded  Indian. 

Of  our  two  great  religions  the  Catholic  faith 
appears  to  be  the  stronger  pioneer  on  the  out- 
skirts of  civilisation  in  North-west  Canada,  and 
beyond,  for  at  a  great  many  surprisingly  remote 
stations  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  it  has 
established  missions  where  priests  work  faithfully 
alone  among  the  few  somewhat  pagan  inhabitants 
that  constitute  their  charge.  Therefore  one 
comes  to  take  Catholic  missions  as  a  matter  of 
course  on  the  north  trails,  but  here,  at  Stanley, 
was  a  less  common  institution — a  long-established 
Protestant  mission  which  at  the  time  of  its  begin- 
ning must  have  been  a  great  pioneering  venture 
on  the  part  of  the  mission,  and  missionary, 
which  undertook  it,  and  even  now  could  give 
to  a  man  exiled  from  his  kind,  and  the  customs 
of  his  kind,  but  little  comfort  and  reward  except- 
ing a  measure  of  satisfaction  to  earnest  con- 
science and  devout  determination.  The  highest- 
up  habitation  on  the  hillside  on  the  north-west 
shore  is  the  mission  house,  while  the  church, 
dominant  and  outstanding  in  this  place  of  tiny 
dwellings,  is  erected  on  the  east  margin  of  the 
settlement,  near  to  the  shore.  Inhabitants  of 
Stanley  say  the  church  was  built  sixty-five  years 
ago,  and  as  it  is  the  most  pretentious  erection 
north  of  the  Churchill,  and  has  been  so  for  many 
years,  I  will  endeavour  to  describe  it.  The  archi- 
tecture, if  it  could  be  so  called,  was  crude,  almost 
barn-like  ;  such  as  could  be  described  was  Gothic 
in  design.  The  church  was  constructed  with 


81 

timber  above  the  foundations,  which  were  of 
rough  stone  imbedded  in  and  plastered  with  clay. 
The  main  aspect  was  that  which  most  churches 
bear  in  greater  or  less  proportions — a  tower  rising 
high  over  the  entrance  ;  a  nave  forming  the  main 
body  of  the  church,  lighted  from  clerestory  win- 
dows ;  and  narrow  side-aisles  behind  columns, 
and  below  roofs  intaking  to  the  upper  walls. 
There  was  a  small  vestry  in  the  rear,  but  no 
transept,  and  so  the  pulpit  stood  on  the  right 
of  the  congregation  at  the  head  of  the  nave. 
There  were  seats  in  the  nave,  and  bare  forms 
against  the  walls  in  the  side-aisles,  while  in  a 
space  in  the  nave  at  the  rear  stood  a  simple, 
antique-looking  font,  which  I  thought  the  most 
beautiful  thing  in  that  strange  place  of  worship. 
The  v/hole  was  impressive,  since  it  was  obviously 
the  outcome  of  the  rude  labours  of  necessity  of 
men  who  wished  beyond  all  else  to  advance  the 
faith  of  God  to  the  outermost  corners  of  the 
world.  A  large  wood-burning  stove  stood  at 
either  end  of  the  nave,  for  heating  purposes  in 
winter,  and  from  those  stoves  unconcealed  gal- 
vanised smoke-funnels  ran  overhead  to  find  an 
exit  finally  in  the  roof;  the  whole  being  one  of 
those  harsh,  incongruous  necessities  that  one 
finds  in  out-of-the-way  places  and  which  are 
most  disturbing  to  one's  sense  of  good  taste. 
The  church,  well  packed,  could  seat  two  hundred 
people.  All  hymn-books  were  printed  in  the 
Cree  language.  The  whole  interior  of  the  church 
was  kept  in  some  degree  of  preservation  with  paint, 
paint  that,  alas  !  in  effect  was  almost  vivid  rather 
than  gravely  peaceful ;  again,  no  doubt,  a 


82       ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL   RIVER 

circumstance  occasioned  by  necessity — lack  of 
colours  to  select  from,  and  the  impossibility  of 
having  an  accurate  blend  sent  in  to  that  remote 
station  by  any  but  a  particularly  enthusiastic 
craftsman.  The  walls,  and  ceilings  between  the 
rafters,  were  painted  pale  blue ;  the  column 
white ;  and,  for  the  rest,  all  woodwork  was 
painted  dark  reddish-brown — the  cornice,  the 
column  caps,  the  window-frames,  the  roof-rafters, 
and  the  seating — while  the  window  openings 
contained  leaded  glass  divided  into  small  oblong 
panes  of  red,  yellow,  blue,  green,  purple  and 
white  in  glaring  contrasts.  I  came  again  outside, 
and  was  almost  glad  of  the  grave  greyness  and 
ill  repair  of  the  exterior,  which  appeared  to  be 
in  the  last  stage  of  decay  ;  moss  growing  on  the 
weather-beaten,  paintless  grey  boarding,  and 
many  places  broken  and  growing  to  an  open 
wound. 

Leaving  the  church,  the  door  was  closed  and 
secured  with  a  piece  of  string  tied  to  a  nail. 

June  24. — It  was  daybreak  at  2  a.m.  and  the 
rain  was  easing  outside  the  tent.  By  4  a.m.  we 
were  hauling  up  tent-pegs  and  preparing  to 
leave  Stanley.  There  was  a  light  wind  from  the 
north,  but  it  was  dull  and  cold — more  like  Fall 
weather  than  that  of  June.  Small  openings  of 
clear  sky  showed  scantily  through  dreary,  dull- 
grey  clouds — disclosures  more  blue  than  any  of  a 
common  summer's  day,  and  it  is  probably  on 
account  of  the  strangely  cold  atmosphere  that 
there  is  such  brilliancy  to-day. 

Proceeding    on    our    way    down    the  Churchill 
River,  we  soon    came   to   Grave   Rapids,  below 


RAPID   RIVER   LAKE  83 

Stanley  Mission,  and  nearly  upset  the  canoe  in 
running  them.  We  were  running  the  rapid  on 
the  left  of  the  swells  that  surged  down  the  middle, 
when,  in  a  flash,  we  were  too  far  into  them,  and 
shipped  a  canoe-load  of  water  before  we  righted 
on  our  course  and  fled  on  swiftly  to  the  foot  of  the 
rushing  water.  Then,  lurching  heavily,  we  pad- 
dled ashore  and  emptied  the  canoe,  finding  as 
before  that  the  canvas  cover  had  saved  most  of 
our  provisions  and  kit  from  the  water. 

Thereafter,  after  some  delay  in  finding  the 
inlet,  we  came  on  through  Rapid  River  Lake. 

About  2  p.m.  we  portaged  at  the  rapid  above 
Drinking  Lake  and  again  had  lake  expanse  before 
us  and  an  unobstructed  stretch  of  water  through 
which  we  made  good  progress.  The  shores  of 
Rapid  River  Lake  and  Drinking  Lake  were 
similar  to  those  previously  passed,  except  that 
neither  were  very  confusing  in  outline. 

At  4.30  p.m.  we  reached  the  foot  of  Drinking 
Lake  and  made  a  portage  at  the  entrance  to  the 
narrows  above  Key  Lake,  where  an  island 
separates  the  river  into  two  channels  :  a  large 
main  channel  and  a  small  channel.  Down  on 
the  rapid  water  of  the  latter  we  ran  in  the  canoe, 
thus  evading  the  fall  which  obstructed  passage 
at  the  foot  of  the  other  channel.  Here  we  camped 
for  the  night  within  hearing  of  the  pleasant  sound 
of  tumbling,  hurrying  water,  well  satisfied  with 
our  long  day,  for  we  had  covered  about  twenty 
miles  as  the  crow  flies  and  overcome  three  rapids. 
A  number  of  birds  were  noted,  but  none  collected, 
since  they  were  either  commonplace,  or  of  species 
I  had  already  collected. 


84      ON  THE   GREAT   CHURCHILL   RIVER 

June  25. — On  the  water  about  6  a.m.  and  pro- 
ceeding onward  through  Key  Lake. 

About  11.30  a.m.  we  reached  the  bottom  of  the 
lake,  where  we  portaged  overland  at  Key  Falls. 

Below  the  falls,  going  quietly  downstream,  we 
came  on  a  very  large  brown  bear.  The  bear,  when 
first  seen,  was  wading  belly-deep  in  the  water  on 
the  outside  of  some  reeds  on  the  north  shore  on 
the  prowl  for  fish — suckers  or  pike,  which  such 
animals  capture  by  striking  at  in  the  water  in 
lightning  scrap  fashion.  Providence  or  sense  of 
danger  stirred  in  the  brute  while  we  watched, 
for  it  waded  leisurely  ashore  and  disappeared  into 
the  bush  before  we  had  even  planned  how  to  get 
near  enough  for  shooting.  The  animal  gave  no 
sign  of  having  seen  us  or  scented  us,  and  so  we  were 
induced  to  paddle  down  on  to  the  south  shore  of 
the  river,  and  go  into  hiding  opposite  where  it  had 
been  hunting  on  the  chance  of  its  returning. 
There  we  lay  up  for  two  hours,  but  our  patience 
was  unavailing,  and  disappointed  we  resumed  our 
journey  at  the  end  of  that  time. 

In  the  late  afternoon  we  made  a  portage  at 
Grand  Rapids  and  camped  for  the  night  at  the 
lower  end.  The  portage  at  this  rapid  was  a  long 
one,  nearly  half  a  mile  in  length. 

Again  and  again  I  am  prompted  to  exclaim  in 
admiration  of  the  vastness  of  the  Churchill  River. 
After  twenty-four  days  on  the  great  waterway, 
her  lakes  and  rapids  have  not  lost  one  whit  of 
their  impressive  strength  and  grandeur ;  unbridled 
force  running  wild ;  powerful  water-power 
worth  many  a  man's  kingdom  if  only  it  were 
within  the  boundary  of  civilisation.  In  such  a 


POSSIBILITIES   OF   COUNTRY  85 

trend  of  thought  one  is  apt  to  try  to  look  into  the 
far-distant  future  and  wonder  what  changes 
another  century  will  bring  and  to  what  industries 
mankind  will  turn  when  they  assail  this  virgin 
country.  Lumbering,  though  the  timber  is 
small  in  comparison  to  the  great  trees  in  British 
Columbia  and  elsewhere,  will  probably  be  the 
first  industry  to  be  taken  up,  while  rich  minerals 
may  be  found,  and  good  agricultural  land ; 
though  on  the  river  bank  I  saw  no  promise  of  the 
latter,  much  of  the  ground  surface  of  the  forest 
being  bare  rock  and  boulder  where  sand  takes 
the  place  of  soil.  But  no  living  white  man  yet 
knows  what  the  interior  of  the  vast  northern 
territory  holds ;  inland  there  may  be  great 
tracts  of  soil  suitable  for  agriculture.  Only  the 
waterways,  where  summer  canoeing  is  possible, 
have  been  roughly  surveyed.  Beyond  them  the 
maps  remain  a  great  blank  space. 

During  the  day  I  collected  some  specimens  of 
birds  and  found  a  number  of  nests.  In  the 
evening  I  caught  a  pike  weighing  Sjlbs.,  which  I 
was  astonished  to  find  had  an  adult  Cedar  Wax- 
wing  in  its  stomach.  Dissolution  had  not  set  in, 
the  bird  was  intact,  and  easily  identified.  Wax- 
wings  prey  much  on  insects,  and  I  fancy  this 
bird  had  dipped  to  the  water  surface  in  pursuit 
of  a  beetle  or  shadfly,  and  the  ravenous  pike  had 
on  the  instant  risen  and  seized  it. 

At  dusk  I  took  my  rifle  and  went  quietly  back 
on  the  portage  path  to  the  top  Grand  Rapid  in 
the  hope  of  seeing  bear,  but  had  no  luck,  though 
bears  at  this  season  of  the  year  frequent  such 
places  if  they  are  in  the  neighbourhood  to  prey 


86      ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL   RIVER 

on  the  shoals  of  black  and  red  suckers,  many  of 
which  are  easily  cornered  and  captured  in  shallow 
channels  and  pools  in  the  angular,  rocky  steps 
of  a  fall. 

June  26. — To-day  we  travelled  Island  Lake, 
the  last  lake  expansion  between  us  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Reindeer  River,  where  our  journey  on  the 
Churchill  would  end.  Island  Lake  held  beauti- 
ful scenery.  After  leaving  the  east  end  of  the 
lake,  which  was  something  like  many  of  the 
others  in  rough  shores  of  bewildering  outline, 
there  lay  before  us  a  wide  expanse  of  water,  the 
clean-cut  shores  of  which  had  straight  distances 
of  green  grass  and  coniferous  tree-trunks  rising 
perpendicularly  from  the  earth,  their  bases  un- 
screened by  willows.  Nearing  the  north-west 
end  of  the  lake  there  were  a  few  pretty  islands 
where  bright  grass  blended  with  the  darker  green 
of  shapely  poplar  trees.  The  water  of  the  lake 
was  clear,  so  clear  that  it  sometimes  permitted  a 
view  of  the  clean,  stony  bottom  through  a  good 
depth  of  water. 

In  the  afternoon,  after  spending  some  time 
searching  through  one  or  two  of  the  islands,  we 
reached  the  end  of  Island  Lake  and  there  located 
Frog  Portage  on  the  south  shore  opposite  an 
island,  where  the  river  takes  a  sharp  turn  into 
the  north-east.  Frog  Portage  is  an  overland 
link  into  Lake  of  the  Woods,  which  is  the  north 
end  of  the  Sturgeonweir  River  route,  that  runs 
150  miles  south  to  Cumberland  House  and  thence 
forty-five  miles  east  to  The  Pas  in  northern 
Manitoba,  where,  for  the  present,  terminates 
the  railway  service  on  the  Canadian  Northern 


MINK  CAPTURES   LARGE  EEL  87 

branch  now  under  construction  to  Hudson  Bay. 
I  made  particular  note  of  the  position  of  Frog 
Portage,  which  was  difficult  to  discern  until  you 
are  almost  upon  it — as,  indeed,  are  all  Indian 
trails — and  I  cut  a  large  blaze  on  a  solitary  tree 
which  stood  on  a  bare  point  on  the  east  shore 
after  resuming  our  journey,  so  that  I  would  be 
warned  when  I  approached  it  on  my  return  and 
might  be  sure  of  finding  it,  for  it  was  by  the  above 
route  that  I  intended  to  return  to  civilisation  at 
some  distant  date  in  the  future. 

There  were  some  Crees  camped  at  Frog  Por- 
tage :  four  teepees  containing  one  deaf  old  man 
and  a  number  of  women  and  children.  With  the 
exception  of  the  old  man  the  male  inhabitants 
were  away  "  freighting "  stores  north  from 
Pelican  Narrows  for  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 
I  photographed  the  gipsy-like  dwellings,  after  I 
had  overcome  the  old  man  with  a  gift  of  tobacco, 
to  the  seeming  consternation  of  the  female  in- 
mates, who  in  their  acute  shyness  reminded  me 
somewhat  of  alarmed  sheep. 

Leaving  Frog  Portage  behind  we  continued 
onward  in  a  more  north-east  direction  than  hither- 
to, until  approaching  darkness  bid  us  camp. 

To-day  I  saw  a  Mink  swimming  rapidly  ashore 
with  prey  in  its  mouth.  With  my  shot-gun  I 
fired  near  to  the  animal  as  it  landed,  and  it 
dropped  what  it  carried,  which  proved  to  be  an 
eel  fifteen  inches  long,  showing  by  deep-sunk 
teeth-marks  that  the  strong,  squirming  thing  had 
been  held  in  vice-like  grip  across  the  head  to 
subdue  it  and  prevent  its  escaping.  To-day,  too, 
I  again  saw  a  Porcupine  swimming  in  the  water. 


88      ON  THE   GREAT  CHURCHILL    RIVER 

Previously,  on  June  11,  I  had  noted  a  similar 
occurrence. 

June  27. — This  was  our  last  day  on  the  Churchill 
River,  for  about  2  p.m.,  after  portaging  at 
Kettle  Falls,  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  Reindeer 
River  and  turned  north  up  that  broad  stream  of 
crystal-clear  water  that  cut  a  well-defined  line 
where  it  joined  the  more  brownish  water  of  the 
Churchill. 

Stiff  paddling  henceforth  lay  ahead  :  against 
current  we  must  now  journey  onward  ;  no  longer 
was  our  course  downstream. 

Somewhat  reluctantly  we  bid  good-bye  to  the 
stream  whose  name  and  character  had  grown 
familiar  and  given  us  pleasure,  and  thereafter 
faced  the  dim  trail  into  the  distant  North. 
Always,  on  such  travelling  as  this,  the  familiar 
scene  and  the  knowledge  and  experience  you 
collect  go  back  to  the  Past,  while  ahead,  round 
each  bend,  and  island,  and  point  in  your  course, 
lies  the  alluring,  unravelled  unknown  of  the 
Future.  So  like  our  lives  ! — the  plan  unfinished, 
the  map  of  our  course  to  be  drawn  as  each  day 
leads  onward.  Unseeing  what  is  in  front  of 
us,  yet  in  faith  picturing  scenes  as  we  imagine 
them  to  be,  and  as  we  would  like  best  to  find 
them. 

But  so  far  as  the  Churchill  River  was  concerned 
our  travels  there  were  ended,  at  least  for  the 
present.  We  had  voyaged  by  lake  and  stream  for 
forty-seven  days,  twenty-seven  of  which  had  been 
spent  on  the  broad,  beautiful  waterway  which  I 
have  endeavoured  to  describe. 

Below   I   give   a   summary    of   the    Churchill 


River  from   Lake  lie 
River  : 


RAPIDS   ON   RIVER  89 

la  Crosse  to  Reindeer 


Locality. 

Approximate 
Distance. 

Rapids  on  River. 

Shagwenaw  Lake 

3  miles  across 

1st  Rapid  :   ran. 

head  of  lake 

River    below    Shag- 

22 1  miles 

2nd     Rapid  —  locally    named 

wenaw  Lake 

•'  Drum  Rapid  "  :   made  short 

portage. 

3rd    Rapid  :     ran.     (Mudjatick 

River  Mouth  below  this  rapid.) 

4th  and  5th  Rapid  :    let  canoe 

down  close  in  on  south  shore. 

. 

6th      Rapid,      Pelican      Rapid, 

locally  named  "  Dipper  Rapid," 

a    bad    rapid  :     portage    over 

quarter  of  a  mile. 

Pelican  Lake  . 

6J  miles 

across  centre 

though 

southerly 

length     12J 

miles. 

Primeau  Lake  . 

9  miles. 

River  below  Primeau 

5  miles. 

1st  Rapid,  Crooked  Rapid  :  ran. 

Lake 

2nd  Rapid,  Knee  Rapid  :   made 

short  portage  over  the  rocks  at 

the   worst   part   and  ran   the 

remainder. 

Knee  Lake 

15  miles. 

River    below     Knee 

1  S  miles  . 

No  rapids. 

Lake 

Sandy  Lake     . 

6  miles  across 

. 

though   10£ 

miles         in 

SW.—  NW. 

length. 

River    below    Sandy 

3  J  miles. 

Snake  Rapid  :   ran. 

Lake 

Snake  Lake 

21  miles. 

No  river   below.     No   apparent 

current  where  lake-bottom  nar- 

rows. 

Sandfly  Lake  . 

11  miles. 

River  and  unnamed 

9  miles  . 

1st   Rapid,    Pine   Portage  :     let 

lake  below  Sandfly 

canoe  down  shallow  branch  on 

Lake 

north  bank. 

2nd  Rapid,  Birch  Portage  :  por- 

taged on  south  shore. 

3rd  Rapid,  Fall  :  portaged  about 

twenty  yards  over  short  neck 

of  land. 

Foster  River.  Mouth  concealed  at 

north  end  of  an  unnamed  lake 

expansion  below  above  rapids. 

90       ON  THE  GREAT   CHURCHILL  RIVER 


Locality. 

Approximate 
Distance. 

Rapids  on  River. 

Black    Bear    Island 

13  J  miles. 

Lake 

River    below    Black 

10  J  miles 

Birch  Portage  :    portage  about 

Bear   Island  Lake 

250  yards,   but  we  let  down 

canoe  at  head  of  rapid  and  ran 

the  remainder. 

Trout  Lake      . 

9  miles. 

River    below    Trout 

7  miles. 

1st  Rapid,  Trout  Rapid  :  made 

Lake 

short  portage. 

2nd  Rapid,  Rock  Trout  Rapid: 

made    portage    of    about    250 

yards. 

3rd  Rapid,  Light  Rock  Rapid  : 

ran. 

4th  Rapid  :  ran  ;  but  the  rapid 

very  stony  and  dangerous. 

Dead  Lake 

6  miles. 

River     below     Dead 

10£  miles 

1st  Rapid,  Great  Devil  Rapid  : 

Lake 

portage  nearly  a  mile  in  length. 

2nd  Rapid,  Little  Devil  Rapid  : 

made  two  portages.     Cut  new 

portage    path    at    last  :     this 

portage  is  apparently  evaded 

by  the  Indians,  who  may  use 

one    of    the    other    channels 

here  formed  by  islands. 

3rd  Rapid,  Otter  Rapid  :  portage 

about  half  a  mile  long,  but  we 

let    canoe    down    along   shore 

until  near  foot  of  rapid,  then 

made  short  portage  over  rocky 

point.     It    proved     a    rough, 

difficult  river-bottom  to  wade 

down. 

Otter  Lake 

9  miles. 

River    below    Otter 

1  mile  . 

1st     Rapid,     Stony     Mountain 

Lake 

Portage  :     short   portage,   but 

we  did  not  use    it,  for  we  let 

canoe  down  side-channel. 

2nd  Rapid,  Mountain  Portage  : 

made  short  portage. 

Rock  Lake 

12  miles. 

Stanley  Mission  Post  at  lower 

end  of  this  lake. 

River     below     Rock 

J  mile    . 

Grave  Rapid  :  ran  ;  but  nearly 

Lake 

upset  in  swells  in    middle  of 

rapid  —  on    being     drawn    into 

them  by  current. 

Rapid  River  Lake    . 

12  miles. 

River    below    Rapid 

£  mile  . 

Fall  :  portaged  over  quarter  of 

River  Lake 

a  mile. 

Drinking  Lake 

7  miles. 

RAPIDS  ON  RIVER 


91 


Locality. 

Approximate 
Distance. 

Rapids  on  River. 

River  below  Drink- 
ing Lake 

2  miles  . 

Island  Portage  :  made  portage 
at  entrance  of  narrows,  then 
ran  down  in  side-channel,  thus 

evading  falls  at  foot  of  main 
channel. 

Key  Lake 
River      below     Key 
Lake 

9£  miles. 
2^  miles  . 

Key  Falls  :  made  short  portage. 
Grand   Rapids  :    made   portage 
of  about  half  a  mile. 

Island  Lake  or  Trade 

10  miles. 

Lake 

River  below  Island 
Lake  to  mouth  of 
Reindeer  River 

2  6  miles  . 

Kettle  Falls  :  made  short  por- 
tage on  west  bank. 

CHAPTER   V 

REINDEER   LAKE   AND   FORT   DU   BROCKET 

REINDEER  Lake !  Fort  Du  Brochet !  Names 
remote  on  the  map  of  Canada,  names  situated  in 
that  Far  Northern  hinderland  where  so  few  have 
come  into  being  that  each  denominates  a  kingdom 
of  virgin  country  which  lies,  unknown  to  our 
race,  on  all  sides  of  the  point  that  has  been 
discovered.  To  me  such  names  are  big  with 
possibilities,  big  with  the  attraction  of  things 
mysterious,  big  because  they  shelter  a  country  that 
is  waiting  the  races  of  the  future.  Yet  to  you,  no 
doubt  they  are  mere  names  of  Lake  and  Post  to 
be  glanced  over  and  forgotten,  and  given  back  to 
the  gigantic  soundless  wastes  of  semi-Arctic 
Canada.  Because  they  are  hidden  away  in  far-off 
distance  they  hold  what  fame  they  have  in  the 
still  unravelled  clouds,  and  the  secretive  silence, 
of  the  ever-passing  years. 

Reindeer  Lake  is  between  longitudes  102°  and 
103°  and  extends  north  to  latitude  58°.  It  is  a 
vast  sheet  of  water  which  stretches  140  miles 
north  and  south,  and  forty  miles  across  where  its 
width  is  greatest.  It  is  in  a  country  of  rock,  and 
muskeg  and  low-lying  hills  which  are  filled  with 
silence  and  unseen  cieatures. 

The  lake  contains  countless  islands  (some 
thousands)  which  are  wooded,  as  are  the  land 

92 


BEAUTY   OF  REINDEER   LAKE  93 

shores,  with  the  strong  character  of  dark-peaked 
Spruce  and  Scrub  Pine,  and  a  few  Tamarac  and 
Birch.  The  island  shores,  which  are  bordered 
with  Willows  at  the  fringes  of  the  forest,  are 
rugged  and  grey  with  rock  and  boulders,  brightly 
relieved  for  occasional  stretches  with  long  low 
bays  and  points  of  spotless,  warm-toned  sand. 
Distant  stretches  of  water  open  up  between -the 
islands,  low  smoke-blue  hills  show  faintly  in  the 
distance,  miniature  traceries  of  dark  trees  rise, 
like  masted  ship,  out  of  reflecting  shadows  on  the 
far  lake  surface  where  hidden  islands  lie,  and 
right  out,  as  if  at  the  end  of  the  world,  the  waters 
die  away  into  the  clouds  where  no  land  is  in 
sight.  It  is  a  wonderful  lake  of  hidden  distances 
which  appear  and  disappear  in  all  directions 
behind  the  foreland,  as  onward  you  travel  through 
a  truly  bewitching  fairyland.  And  over  the 
clear  blue  waters  of  the  lake,  reaching  far  into 
the  great  distances,  reaching  even  beyond  into 
unseen  but  imaginable  places,  there  reigns  im- 
pressively the  weight  and  solemnity  of  an  unseen 
Spirit.  It  is  the  Spirit  of  the  North — silent 
grandeur,  and  vastness,  and  untouched  purity 
of  a  Virgin  Land  lending  awe  and  greatness  to 
Creation.  It  is  the  dominance  of  that  Spirit  which 
makes  man  feel,  when  in  the  great  grave  presence 
of  it,  how  impotent,  how  insignificant  a  part  of 
the  Universe  he  is,  and  how  humble  he  should  be. 
There  are  two  Trading  Posts  on  Reindeer  Lake  : 
one,  a  winter  post,  is  on  Big  Island  at  the  south 
end  at  the  head  of  Reindeer  River;  the  other, 
Fort  l)u  Brochet,  the  chief  Post  of  the  territory, 
is  on  the  north  mainland  near  the  mouth  of  the 
8 


94  REINDEER  LAKE  AND  FORT  DU  BROCKET 

Cochrane  River.  The  two  Posts  are,  depending 
on  wind,  five  to  six  days'  canoe  journey  apart, 
while  the  York  Boat  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
—a  cumbersome,  wide-beamed  sailing  craft  of 
some  forty-foot  keel — with  following  wind  (and 
the  Indian  crew  always  wait  for  such  a  wind  when 
about  to  make  the  voyage),  and  travelling  day  and 
night,  can  accomplish  the  distance  in  two  days. 

It  was  in  mid- July  that  Joe  and  I  in  our  solitary 
canoe  approached  the  north  end  of  Reindeer 
Lake  and  sought  the  inlet  which  would  hold  some 
sign  of  habitation. 

Night  was  creeping  down  over  the  earth,  and 
the  shores  were  darkening  to  blackness  when  our 
journey  on  the  lake  drew  to  a  close  and  we  neared 
the  Post  of  Fort  Du  Brochet.  The  gladness  of 
a  summer's  day  was  folding  its  spirit  in  repose, 
and  the  inflexions  of  a  score  of  tiny  nature 
sounds  were  fading  away  into  the  darkness, 
though  still  the  strained  ear  caught  the  laughing 
trickle  of  water  against  the  canoe  and  the  low- 
speaking  lap  of  the  gentle  waves  as  they  came  and 
went  with  the  lazy  northern  breeze.  Our 
approach  was  unheralded,  and  the  lone  canoe 
stole  softly  inshore,  where  cabins  stood  solemnly 
silhouetted  against  the  wistful  sky.  Dim  figures 
moved  on  shore  to  the  left,  and  low  voices,  in 
native  conversation,  rose — then  died  away.  Stars 
peeped  out,  and  the  Northern  Lights  grew  clear 
in  the  overhead  sky.  A  rising  fish  splashed — and 
another.  .  .  .  Then  silence  reigned. 

The  canoe  was  run  in  on  the  sand  close  by  the 
shadowy  landing,  and  my  companion  and  I  stepped 
ashore  to  pick  our  way  up  the  rough  path  to  the 


BUTTERFLIES   ON   MOIST   SHORE   SAND    OP   REINDEER   LAKE. 


THE    LANDING  AT    FORT   DU    BROCHET. 


94] 


FORT  DU   BROCKET  95 

Fort.  Night  settled  down  to  death-like  silence. 
.  .  .  The  Spirit  of  the  North  was  in  the  air,  and 
in  the  solitude  of  the  lonely  Post. 

After  rounding  an  island  promontory  Fort  Du 
Brochet  is  approached,  where  its  scanty  settle- 
ment of  miniature  dwellings  stands  grave  and 
grey  in  one  of  those  hidden  inlet  bays  so  common 
to  all  waterways  of  the  rugged  North.  The  small 
gathering  of  teepees  and  cabins  shows  suddenly 
and  at  close  range  before  the  vision  of  the  voya- 
geur,  and  he  welcomes  them,  after  his  long,  hard 
journey  through  unpeopled  country,  as  an  unex- 
pected find.  He  exclaims  with  pleasure  at  the  sight 
of  habitations,  and  excitedly  anticipates  the  joy 
of  conversation  with  the  white  or  halfbreed 
trader  at  the  Fort.  It  is  the  way  of  men  on  the 
outer  trails  to  be  delighted  with  such  rare  meetings 
with  mankind,  for  as  they  gain  the  freedom  of  the 
wilderness  the  mind  looks  ever  back  to  its  harvest 
of  memories  of  companionship,  and  looking  back 
grows  ever  hungrier  for  the  voices  of  their  kind. 
Those  primitive  shelters,  artless  and  somewhat 
uncompromising  in  line  and  colour,  are  therefore 
as  welcome  to  the  traveller  as  at  other  times 
might  be  the  comfortable  bungalow  of  a  civilised 
home.  Indeed,  it  is  possible  they  are  more  wel- 
come, for  in  the  Silent  Places  men  learn  a  greater 
appreciation  than  in  a  world  of  ease. 

The  small,  log-hewn,  square-built  cabins  are 
weather-beaten  and  grey  like  time-worn  boulders 
on  the  wayside,  and  stand  solitary  as  sentinels 
on  a  bare,  treeless,  grass-grown  knoll.  The  Fort 
— the  buildings  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 


96  REINDEER  LAKE  AND  FORT  DU  BROCKET 

comprising  a  house,  a  trading  store,  and  an  assort- 
ment of  outhouses — stands  dominant  on  the 
highest  ground  on  the  extreme  east  of  the  knoll. 
To  the  west,  strange  to  say,  is  a  tiny  Catholic 
mission  and  church  ;  the  latter  cross-planned,  as 
is  the  Roman  custom,  notwithstanding  its  insigni- 
ficant size  and  crude  workmanship.  At  some 
little  distance  from  the  mission  is  the  Trading 
Store  of  the  "  French  Company "  (Revillion 
Brothers),  rival  traders  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany, who  here  established  a  footing  some  ten 
years  ago.  There  are  six  cabins  in  the  settle- 
ment occupied  by  part-blood  or  full-blood  Indians, 
who  are  at  intervals  in  summer  and  winter  em- 
ployed in  the  transport  of  furs  and  stores  for  the 
trading  companies.  White  fungus-like  tents, 
in  awkward  discord  with  natural  colours,  are 
pitched  here  and  there  along-shore.  They  are 
the  temporary  shelters  of  the  ever  wandering 
Chipewyans,  for  alas  !  the  days  of  the  mahogany- 
coloured,  smoke-soiled  deer-skin  (caribou  or 
moose-skin)  teepees  have  almost  gone,  and  their 
peaked  pyramid  forms  range  no  more  in  native 
beauty  along  the  shore-front. 

There  is  little  stir  of  life  around  the  cabins 
during  the  long  summer's  day,  for  the  men  are 
commonly  away  fishing  or  hunting  or  "  freight- 
ing "  for  the  Company,  and  the  few  squaws, 
with  their  half-wild  childien  about  them,  keep 
chiefly  to  their  dwellings.  Occasionally  the  dogs 
of  the  Post,  which  form  the  greater  part  of  the 
population,  give  voice  to  vicious  quarrel  or  howls 
of  deep-rooted  melancholy';  but,  as  a  rule,  they  are 
to  be  seen  curled  up  in  slumber  here,  there,  and 


LAKE  TEEMS  WITH  FISH  97 

everywhere,  indifferent  alike  to  the  peace  or 
desolation  of  the  quiet  scene. 

Such  is  the  aspect  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  the 
furthest  inland  post  in  the  region  and  one  of  the 
hardest  to  reach  from  the  far-distant  frontier. 
One  may  call  it  a  rude  settlement  in  a  rude  land 
of  water  and  cloud  and  wilderness :  yet  it  had 
its  native  life  of  quaintness  and  simplicity; 
and,  above  all,  its  summer  days,  and  its  sunsets, 
and  its  Northern  Lights  of  superb,  wild,  natural 
beauty. 

The  clear  blue  water  of  Reindeer  Lake  is  teem- 
ing with  fish,  and  it  is  almost  as  wonderful  on 
that  account  as  it  is  for  its  rare  northern  beauty. 
And  those  fish  abound  in  water  that  is  exception- 
ally fine,  and  which,  no  doubt,  gives  to  them 
wonderful  growth  and  well-being.  An  extract 
from  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey  Report 
on  the  country  between  Lake  Athabasca  and 
Churchill  River,  1896,  p.  99  D,  states  : 

"  A  chemical  examination  of  the  waters  from 
Reindeer  Lake  and  Churchill  River  was  made  by 
Dr.  F.  D.  Adams  in  the  Laboratory  of  the  Survey 
in  1882.  In  summing  up  the  general  results, 
Dr.  Adams  says  :  '  Of  the  foregoing  waters  that 
from  Reindeer  Lake  is  remarkable  for  the  small 
amount  of  dissolved  solid  matter  which  it  con- 
tains ;  in  this  regard  it  would  take  rank  with  the 
waters  of  Bala  Lake,  Merionethshire,  Wales,  and 
Loch  Katrine,  Perthshire,  Scotland.  .  .  .'  ' 

There  are,  in  Reindeer  Lake,  as  far  as  is  known 
to  me,  eight  different  species  of  fish,  most  of  which 
are  to  be  found  in  many  of  the  waterways  of  the 
North,  particularly  where  rivers  flow,  or  have 


98   REINDEER  LAKE  AND  FORT  DU  BROCKET 

connections  to  lakes.  Many  small  land-locked 
inland  lakes  apparently  contain  no  fish,  or  very 
few,  and  those  usually  pike. 

The  fish  contained  in  Reindeer  Lake  are,  if  we 
exclude  the  small  fry  of  which  I  had  not  sufficient 
time  or  opportunity  to  take  account,  Whitefish, 
Lake  Trout,  Back's  Grayling,  or  Arctic  Grayling  (?) 
Pike,  Pickerel,  Red  Sucker,  Black  Sucker,   and 
lastly  a  small  herring-like  fish,  indigenous  appar- 
ently to  the  south  end  of  the  lake,  which,  after 
reference  to  specimens  in  the  Museum  at  Ottawa,  I 
believe  to  be  the  Alaska  Herring,  or  Mooneye  Cisco. 
THE  WHITEFISH  is  the  great  food  fish,  both  for 
the  natives  of  Reindeer  Lake  and  their  sled-dogs. 
The  flesh  is  white  and  delicate,  and  delicious  to 
eat ;    and  one  never  tires  of  it  even  when  it  is 
made  a  constant  diet.     They  are  caught  only  in 
gill-nets,  and  weigh  on  an  average  between  two 
and  three  pounds.     The  smallest  fish  I  saw  taken 
weighed  one  pound,  and  the  largest  six  pounds. 
In  shape  the  whitefish  is  narrow-backed,  with  a 
full,  curved  outline  and  deep-girthed  sides  which 
are  covered  with  silvery  coarse  scales ;   the  head 
is  small,  and  tapers  sharply  to  the  fine-lipped, 
toothless  mouth.     The  lower  sides  and  belly  are 
silvery   white,    which   is   the   striking   colour   of 
the  fish,  for  they  look  like  bars  of  silver  when 
freshly  caught ;    the  upper  sides  glint  with  pale 
bluish-purple,  or  reddish-purple  in  some  instances, 
and    darken   into   the   brown    over   back,  while 
the  scale  outlines  there  show  black.     The  dorsal 
fin  is  of  ordinary  size ;    not  large,  and  brightly 
coloured   like   the   grayling,  which    it  resembles 
somewhat  in  shape  and  size. 


THE   LAKE   TROUT  99 

THE  LAKE  TROUT  is  almost  of  equal  food  value 
to  the  Whitefish,  but  it  is  never  caught  in  great 
numbers  by  the  Indians  in  their  set  nets.  The 
flesh  of  this  fish  is  deep  yellow,  and  firm  and  full- 
flavoured  ;  but  one  tires  of  it  quickly  as  a  regular 
diet,  probably  on  account  of  its  richness  in  fat 
or  oil.  In  shape  those  trout  are  full  and  lengthily 
well  proportioned  ;  in  colour  the  fine  scales  are 
silvery  white  on  the  lower  body,  and  white- 
spotted  sage-green  brownish  above,  while  there 
is  a  thin,  dark,  well-defined  line  along  the  centre 
of  the  sides.  They  are  powerful  fish,  usually 
weighing  between  three  and  a  half  pounds  and 
eight  pounds,  though  they  are  occasionally  caught 
of  much  greater  size.  I  secured  one  weighing 
nineteen  pounds,  and  preserved  the  skin,  which 
is  now  mounted  in  the  Saskatchewan  Museum. 
One  is  recorded  weighing  twenty-five  pounds, 
caught  near  the  mouth  of  Stone  River.1  Those 
trout  can  be  easily  caught  on  a  rod  by  trolling 
a  minnow  or  spoon,  but  fly  was  tried  on  a  few 
occasions  without  success,  though  fish  were  seen 
breaking  the  surface  of  the  water  in  all  directions 
on  suitable  evenings. 

I  had  no  occasion  to  catch  more  trout  than 
the  day's  needs  required,  and  on  Reindeer  Lake, 
particularly  at  the  south  end,  half  an  hour's 
trolling  was  often  sufficient  to  take  a  five  to  ten 
pound  basket ;  when  the  rod  would  then  be  put 
away.  Fishing  for  food  in  this  way  during  the 
six  days  it  took  to  travel  from  the  south  to  the 
north  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  my  catch  totalled 

1  Report  on  the  country  between  Lake  Athabasca  and  Churchill 
River,  1896,  p.  14  D. 


100    REINDEER  LAKE  AND  FORT  DU  BROCKET 

thirteen  trout,  weighing  fifty-two  pounds.  I 
have  often  wondered  what  a  whole  day's  catch 
would  amount  to  in  weight  in  those  unfished 
waters,  and  almost  regret  I  had  not  occasion  to 
make  the  test. 

BACK'S  GRAYLING,  or  ARCTIC  GRAYLING  (?)  is 
only  on  very  rare  occasions  caught  in  nets  by 
the  natives.  They  probably  do  not  live  long 
periods  in  Reindeer  Lake,  unless  that  when 
doing  so  they  keep  to  the  deep  waters  and  avoid 
detection.  I  have  caught  them  below  Reindeer 
Lake  on  the  Reindeer  River,  and  above  Rein- 
deer Lake  on  the  Cochrane  River.  They  are 
much  given  to  frequenting  the  swift  waters  of 
river  rapids,  and  it  is  there  that  I  invariably 
found  them.  They  were  caught  only  on  a  small 
phantom  minnow,  which  was  the  only  lure  I 
could  induce  them  to  rise  to,  and  weighed  be- 
tween one  pound  and  a  half  and  three  pounds. 
They  were  exceedingly  game  and  fought  splendidly 
in  the  swift  current.  From  an  angling  point  of 
view  they  afforded  more  excitement  and  fun 
than  did  the  Lake  Trout.  I  greatly  enjoyed 
fishing  for  them,  and  also  the  scramble  over  the 
rocks  to  reach  their  favourite  "  lies  "  in  surround- 
ings where  the  river  roared  and  tossed  in  com- 
panionable tumult. 

In  shape  the  Grayling  resembles  the  White- 
fish,  but  the  flesh  is  not  so  firm,  and  white,  and 
palatable,  though  quite  fair  eating.  In  colour  the 
upper  sides  are  silvery  brown,  with  glints  of 
pale  blue,  and  also  with  slight  yellow  and  red 
tints,  while  there  are  a  few  widely  spaced  promi- 
nent black  spots  on  the  fore-shoulder ;  the  back 


FISH  IN  REINDEER   LAKE  101 

is  darker  than  the  sides,  and  therefrom  arises  a 
very  large  dorsal  fin,  almost  a  third  of  the  length 
of  the  fish,  which  is  brilliantly  spotted  and  streaked 
with  many  lights  of  deep  purple  and  greenish 
blue ;  the  belly  is  blackish  when  the  fish  is  first 
taken  from  the  water,  but  later  it  pales  to  white. 
It  is,  altogether,  a  brilliant  rainbow-tinted  fish 
when  seen  swimming  in  the  clear  water,  but  quickly 
loses  much  of  those  glints  of  colour  when  killed. 

THE  PIKE. — This  fish,  commonly  called  Jack- 
fish  in  Canada,  is  that  long-snouted,  somewhat 
repulsive  fish  that  everyone  knows ;  and  it 
needs  not  description.  Its  flesh  is  quite  edible 
in  northern  waters,  but  nevertheless  it  is  never 
used  for  food  by  the  Indians  when  Whitefish 
and  Trout  can  be  got.  I  caught  many  of  those 
fish  on  spoon  or  minnow,  and  took  one  on  the 
rod  weighing  eighteen  pounds. 

THE  PICKEREL,  an  American  species  of  Pike, 
is  very  similar  to  the  above,  and  was  almost 
equally  common,  and  taken  with  the  same  lures. 

THE  RED  SUCKER  is  very  plentiful  in  Reindeer 
Lake,  and  in  the  river  flowing  into  it,  and  is 
often  caught  in  nets  along  with  the  Whitefish. 
It  is  used  for  dog-food,  but  only  seldom  for 
human  food,  although  the  heads  cut  off  and 
boiled  are  often  eaten  by  the  Indians,  who  con- 
sider the  eyes  a  delicacy.  The  flesh  is  white, 
but  somewhat  soft,  and,  if  used  for  native  food 
at  all,  is  dried  or  smoked  previous  to  consumption. 
In  shape  they  are  a  broad-backed,  round-barrelled 
fish  of  equal  depth  and  width,  while  below  the 
blunt-pointed  snout  is  the  puckered,  toothless, 
circular  mouth  from  which  they  derive  their 


102    REINDEER  LAKE  AND  FORT  DU  BROCKET 

name.  They  weigh,  as  a  rule,  between  two 
pounds  and  four  pounds.  In  colour  the  fish 
is  white  underneath,  with  the  under-fins  tinted 
with  shades  of  yellow  and  reddish  chrome ;  the 
back  and  upper  sides  are  medium  dark  shades  of 
blackish-brown  with  a  clear  pinkish  tint  over- 
lying the  ground  colour  on  the  full  length  of  the 
middle  sides  ;  the  gills  are  yellowish. 

In  summer  these  fish  are  often  seen  in  great 
shoals  in  the  clear  shallow  waters  of  rapids,  and 
their  colours  then  show  beneath  the  surface  with 
oriental  brilliancy. 

THE  BLACK  SUCKER  is  very  similar,  but  lacks 
the  bright  colouring  of  the  Red  variety.  Both 
are  fish  imperturbable  by  any  kind  of  lure, 
failing  the  possession  of  nets  they  may  be  speared 
in  shallow  water. 

THE  ALASKA  HERRING  or  MOONEYE  Cisco 
is  probably  the  strange  little  fish  which  I  saw 
taken  for  food  purposes  at  the  south  end  of 
Reindeer  Lake.  None  were  caught  at  Fort  Du 
Brochet  at  the  north  end  of  the  same  lake,  and 
the  Indians  declare  they  are  known  only  at  the 
first-named  locality,  which  appears  very  strange. 
I  saw  many  of  those  fish  when  passing  on  my  way 
north,  but  omitted  to  secure  specimens.  And 
unfortunately  when  I  returned  in  winter  the 
lake  was  frozen,  and  none  were  procurable,  though 
I  tried. 

I  am  unable  therefore  to  positively  establish 
the  identity  of  this  species,  but  certainly  record 
the  location  so  that  at  least  the  presence  of  this 
small  herring-like  fish,  which  is  apparently  pecu- 
liar to  one  particular  section  of  water,  may  be 


THE   INDIANS'    DEEP-SHADOWED   LAND    103 

noted  and  investigated  later  by  others  if  not  by 
myself. 

Reindeer  Lake  is  undoubtedly  very  abundantly 
stocked  with  fish,  and  one  is  prone  to  wonder 
if,  in  time,  it  will  come  to  be  exploited  by  the 
white  race  on  account  of  their  food  value. 

But  meantime  its  vast  expanse  lies  undisturbed ; 
virgin — for  one  can  almost  discount  the  piscatorial 
activities  of  the  handful  of  Indians  that  now 
live  on  her  shores,  for  those  are  the  activities 
of  but  a  limited  number  of  individuals  who  can 
make  no  visible  impression  on  this  inland  sea.  .  .  . 

And  so,  of  the  future  of  Reindeer  Lake  one 
dreams,  or  is  prone  to  dream,  when  camped  by 
her  shores  when  the  sun  is  lowering  in  the  gold- 
rippled,  peaceful  West,  and  the  air  vibrant  with 
the  churring  of  nighthawks.  .  .  .  And,  as  you 
muse,  and  night  creeps  in,  further  sounds  of  the 
wild  awake  and  catch  your  acutely  tuned  ears, 
as  does  even  the  minute  rustle  of  a  mouse  in  the 
grass  in  the  breathless  intervals  of  overawing 
silence.  .  .  .  And  at  last,  as  if  aware  you  had 
been  waiting  for  it,  from  the  shadow-filled  swamp 
near-by  arises  the  elf-song  of  the  white-throated 
sparrow  in  mystic  sweetness.  .  .  .  Then  are  you 
glad  to  cease  your  ponderings ;  glad  that  Time 
has  not  changed  this  wonderland :  and  that 
yours  is  the  good  fortune  to  camp  on  Indian 
hunting-ground,  in  the  Indians'  deep-shadowed 
land. 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE    BARREN-GROUND    CARIBOU 

AT  the  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  soon  after 
striking   north   from  the  great  Churchill   River, 
one  is  vividly  made  aware,  even  in  summer,  that 
the  land  of  vast  Caribou  herds  has  been  reached. 
There  at  the  Indian  camp  at  the  outlet  to  Rein- 
deer River  you  will  find  strewn  about  the  small 
Indian   cabins,   in    untidy   disorder,   remains   of 
many  Caribou — bleached  hair,  hoofs,  and  white, 
weather- washed       knuckle-bones — which       even 
wolfish  sled-dogs  have  given  up   chewing  at  in 
distaste  at  their  absolute  poverty.    Afterwards,  as 
you    pilot    your    way    northwards,  through    the 
great  lake  of  forested  islands,  you  will  be  aston- 
ished,  wherever    you    land,   at    the    number    of 
Caribou    paths    that    lie    before    you — cleai-cut 
paths,  worn    down    by    the    hoofs    of   countless 
animals,  following,  Indian-file,  one  after  the  other 
over   the    cranberry,   moss-grown,   sand    surface 
of  the  woods — paths  not  grown  over  ;  unchanged 
since  the  time  of  the  last  migration  except  that 
they  bear  no  fresh  hoof  imprint.     Those  paths 
are  traced  in  many  directions,  but  perhaps    the 
greater  number,  and  those  most  deeply  worn,  are 
those  which  run  north  and  south. 

You  have  reached  the  great  winter-haunt  of 
the    Barren-ground    Caribou  (Rangifer   arcticus). 

104 


WINTER  HAUNT   OF   CARIBOU  105 

Since  the  beginning  of  time,  as  far  as  men  know, 
they  have  always  come  here — Reindeer  Lake  ! 
Assuredly  not  for  nothing  had  it  been  thus  named. 

In  that  particular  territory  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  Caribou  migration  may  be  said  to  be  the 
Churchill  River,  though  animals  have  been  killed 
on  rare  occasions  as  far  south  as  Cumberland 
House  on  the  Saskatchewan  River.  But  the 
great  area  of  Reindeer  Lake,  larger  than  a  half- 
dozen  English  counties,  is  pre-eminently  the 
favoured  winter  feeding-ground. 

In  October  or  November  each  year  large  herds 
of  Caribou  reach  the  north  end  of  the  lake,  and 
apparently  continue  south  chiefly  on  the  eastern 
shores.  Thereafter  they  scatter  abroad  for  a 
period,  and  travel  slowly  from  place  to  place, 
over  frozen  lake  and  snow-lain  forest,  while  feeding 
on  abundant  white  moss  and  marsh-grass,  and  a 
consideration  of  mud  which  they  seem  to  relish. 

In  winter  their  method  of  feeding  is  to  dig 
down  to  the  ground-surface  with  their  remarkably 
sharp  forefeet,  and  then  to  work  forward  in  the 
channel  they  have  made  in  the  snow,  which  is 
sometimes  of  a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more. 
When  the  depth  of  snow  is  very  bad  the  Caribou 
prefer  feeding  in  open  muskeg  valleys,  between  the 
more  densely  grown  forests,  where  the  wind  gets 
at,  and  sweeps  away,  part  of  the  covering,  and  the 
labour  to  reach  the  undergrowth  is  accordingly 
less. 

Early  in  the  year  the  does  and  yearling  fawns 
again  commence  to  move  northward,  while  the 
bucks  remain  behind  to  follow  later.  They 
return  not  as  they  came,  not  chiefly  on  the  eastern 


106         THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

shores  of  the  great  lake,  but  scattered  broadcast 
among  the  islands  of  the  frozen  lake,  and  on  both 
mainland  shores.  The  fact  is  that  theirs  is  a 
leisurely  return,  since  there  is  no  weather  change 
to  urge  them  to  haste — as  is  the  case  when  the 
great  massed  droves  hasten  south — and  so  they 
travel  easily,  and  in  food-seeking,  scattered  herds. 
There  is  almost  certainly  a  second  reason  for  the 
leisurely  return  of  the  does  and  fawns,  and  that 
is  the  maternal  instinct  of  the  does,  for  many  of 
them  are  with  young  that  they  will  give  birth  to 
in  early  spring. 

One  can  easily  understand  why  those  great 
herds  of  Caribou  travel  south  in  the  Fall.  The 
undergrowth  on  the  Barren  lands  is  plentiful, 
but  there  are  no  trees.  When  winter  comes  the 
wind,  driving  over  the  exposed  white  surface, 
packs  the  snow  hard,  and  an  icy  crust  forms 
through  which  it  is  difficult,  sometimes  impos- 
sible, to  break  for  grazing.  It  is,  as  it  always  is 
by  nature's  arrangement  of  things,  a  question  of 
existence,  this  insistent  migration  of  those  animals. 
As  the  thermometer  drops  in  the  Far  North,  and 
food  and  shelter  become  difficult  to  find,  the 
animals  will  band  together  and  grow  restive,  and 
pause  from  time  to  time  to  sniff  the  wind  from  the 
south  with  question  on  their  countenance.  And 
one  day,  with  proud  heads  up  and  anxious  eyes, 
they  will  commence  their  long  travel  through 
sheltering  forests  where  snows  are  soft  and  food 
is  plentiful  beneath  the  yielding  surface. 
•  •  •  •  • 

At  Prince  Albert,   or  any  frontier  town,  you 
may  on  rare  occasions  run   across   a   Cree   or  a 


THE  LAST  OF  THE  ROVING  BIG-GAME    107 

Chipewyan  Indian  who  has  ventured  out  to  the 
white  man's  country,  to  "  the  people  who  live 
behind  rocks  "  —as  he  terms  the  white  race  that 
live  in  stone-built  houses.  If  you  question  him 
closely,  you  may  hear  of  the  great  Caribou  migra- 
tions which  pass  his  far-off  wigwam  at  some  name- 
less point  in  space  and  which  provide  him  with 
meat  stores  for  half  the  months  in  the  year. 

If  he  narrates  vividly  his  story  will  be  legend- 
like  as  the  tales  of  Buffalo  herds  on  the  North- West 
prairies  half  a  century  ago  or  as  the  tales  of  the 
herds  of  Pronghorned  Antelope — that,  alas ! 
have  wasted  away  since  civilisation  came  to  the 
prairies,  and  the  fences  of  the  Canadian  Pacific 
Railway  held  them  hapless  prisoners  when  they 
longed  to  answer  the  insistent  call  to  the  south, 
and  to  change  which  was  essential  to  their 
existence. 

In  many  ways  I  had  heard  of  the  migrations  of 
the  Barren-ground  Caribou,  each  new  tale  whet- 
ting my  desire  to  witness  them.  The  Buffalo  had 
gone,  the  Antelope  were  almost  gone  ;  mankind 
would  never  again  witness  those  great  animal 
herds  in  their  wild  state.  There  remained — 
beyond  the  pale  of  white  man — the  last  of  the 
roving  big-game  race  in  Canada ;  the  Barren- 
ground  Caribou. 

I  had  read  at  one  time  some  records  of  Caribou 
in  a  work  entitled  Through  the  Mackenzie  Basin, 
which  contained  "  Notes  on  Mammals,"  by 
R.  Macfarlane,  and  I  had  written  them  down, 
though  little  knowing  that  I  would  ever  come  to 
think  of  them  again.  Those  records  were  : — - 

"  Caribou  observed  passing  in  the  neighbour- 


108          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

hood  of  Lac  du  Brochet  (north  end  Reindeer 
Lake).  Fall  migration  witnessed  in  October, 
November,  or  December.  Spring  migration  in 
April,  May.  Caribou  seen  each  year  from  1874 
till  1884  :  none  seen  from  1885  until  the  autumn 
of  1889." 

Those  notes  contained  for  me  one  main  idea— 
that   Lac   du   Brochet   was   a   particular   winter 
haunt  of  the  Caribou.     That  thought  caught  hold 
and  took  root. 

Hence  you  have  found  me  entering  the  Land  of 
the  Caribou — hence  was  I  in  the  middle  of 
August  1914  (beyond  the  reach  of  knowing  of 
war,  which  I  did  not  learn  had  broken  out  until 
October)  approaching  the  height  of  land  that 
occurs  in  latitude  59°  and  longitude  102°,  800 
miles,  by  the  course  I  had  travelled,  from  my 
starting-point  east  of  Prince  Albert. 

Passing  Fort  du  Brochet,  before  entering  the 
Cochrane  River,  I  had  been  told  by  Philip 
Merasty — an  ancient  Hudson  Bay  servant  and 
crafty  hunter,  and  a  fine  old  halfbreed  who,  but 
for  his  name  and  elementary  mission  education, 
you  would  take  for  a  full-blooded  Indian — that 
during  the  past  three  years  the  Caribou  had  been 
arriving  in  their  neighbourhood  at  an  earlier 
date  than  formerly.  It  was  in  October  and 
November  that  Caribou  appeared  in  former 
years,  he  said,  but  they  looked  for  them  now  in 
late  August  and  September.  Yet  in  his  crude 
diary,  which  I  found  secreted  in  his  cabin  eaves 
some  weeks  later,  I  came  on  the  illuminating 
information  that  his  son  Pierre  had  seen  the  first 
Caribou  on  frozen  Reindeer  Lake  on  October  21, 


SEARCH  FOR  CARIBOU  FAILS  109 

1913.  I  would  rather  trust  the  diary  record  than 
the  verbal  one,  and  later  experiences  have  borne 
this  out. 

However,  for  the  moment,  I  had  been  encour- 
aged by  the  Indians  at  the  post  to  think  that  if  I 
continued  my  canoe  journey  north  I  would  have 
every  chance  of  seeing  Caribou  at  the  point  I  now 
had  reached. 

I  was  in  beautiful  country.  Beyond  the 
bright  gravel  beach,  and  points  of  fine  white 
sand,  of  lake  and  river  shore,  rose  hills ;  grace- 
fully rounded  and  sweeping  in  outline ;  massing 
large  and  bold  and  grand.  Along  the  shores 
where  moisture  was  plentiful  were  willows,  and 
a  few  alders,  and  small  green  tamarac  trees ;  at 
their  roots,  mosses,  and  much  of  that  bushy 
ground-shrub  known  as  Labrador  Tea,  the  white 
bloom  now  dead,  and  rusty  brown  where  un- 
blown. Back  from  the  shore  were  hills  grown 
mostly  with  scattered,  low-statured  Northern 
Scrub  Pine;  the  sand  and  gravel  surfaces  moss- 
covered,  and  the  boulders  green  as  the  surround- 
ings, with  lichen. 

From  time  to  time  I  went  ashore  to  search 
for  signs  of  Caribou,  climbing  to  bare,  sandy, 
bouldered  ridges  in  some  cases,  and  viewing  range 
after  range  of  like  hills,  with  marsh  and  lake 
pockets  in  the  hollows  in  the  foreground.  .  .  .  But 
never  a  sign  of  life  in  the  distance — there  at  my 
feet  game  paths  worn  down  by  the  feet  of  countless 
Caribou,  antlers  long  cast  aside,  hair  and  bones 
where  an  animal  had  died,  markings  of  hundreds 
of  rabbits  (varying  hare),  but  not  a  single  fresh 
footprint  on  the  sand,  except  of  fox  and  wolf. 
9 


110         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

Animal  life  seemed  dead ;  not  even  a  rabbit 
moved,  and  I  fear  it  must  have  been  that  mini- 
mum year  of  growth,  that  periodic  time  when  the 
rabbit  plague  nearly  exterminates  the  species 
in  a  region. 

Day  after  day  I  waited — and  watched.  .  .  . 
Everything  in  the  land  had  at  first  been  beautiful, 
in  my  eyes — but,  God  !  how  the  awful  silence  of 
its  vast  space  grips  you.  Even  now  I  felt  it, 
even  before  the  great  covering  of  snow  had 
muffled  every  corner  of  the  earth,  and  land  and 
water  came  to  be  bound  in  iron  ice-grip. 

At  Fort  Du  Brochet  I  had  been  advised  that  I 
had  not  much  time  to  spare  before  freeze-up  set 
in,  and  that  I  would  be  well  advised  to  return 
speedily.  Later  this  turned  out  to  be,  for  this 
particular  year,  a  deceptive  estimate ;  but,  at 
the  time,  my  waiting  at  the  head  of  the  Cochrane 
River  seemed  precarious  if  I  was  to  get  out  to 
the  post  before  ice  formed  on  the  lake,  beach 
the  canoe,  and  outfit  for  further  travel  by  dog- 
sled.  Therefore,  after  two  weeks  of  unrewarded 
watching  for  Caribou,  I  gave  up,  and  turned 
the  canoe-bow  into  the  south  for  the  first  time 
for  many  months. 

It  was  something  over  a  hundred  miles  back 
down  the  Cochrane  River  to  Du  Brochet  Post. 
The  return  journey  began  favourably,  for  the  wind 
was  behind,  and  wind  and  current  sped  the  canoe 
merrily  on  its  way ;  but  on  the  following  day, 
and  thereafter,  the  weather  broke  down  badly 
and  rains  and  heavy  head- winds  delayed  travel- 
ling. Indeed  in  mid-afternoon  on  one  occasion 
the  storm  grew  so  fierce  that  I  gave  up  struggling 


MY   LOG   CABIN. 


110] 


ESKIMOS. 


BUILDING   LOG  CABIN  111 

against  it,  and  ran  ashore  and  camped  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day. 

It  transpired  that  broken  stormy  weather  had 
set  in  for  an  extraordinarily  long  period,  and  on 
getting  back  to  Reindeer  Lake  and  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  I  had  a  long  time  to  wait  for  freeze-up 
during  an  extremely  open  Fall. 

However,  I  had  plenty  to  do  while  waiting,  for, 
in  addition  to  collecting  a  dog-team  from  the 
Indians  at  the  Post,  I  set  about  building,  on  the 
margin  of  a  small  inland  lake  two  miles  north 
of  Du  Brochet,  a  log  cabin  which  was  to  be  "  my 
home"  and  a  winter  base,  a  safe  storage  for 
museum  specimens,  and  a  quiet  outlook  from 
which  Caribou  could  be  observed  if  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. 

To  build  a  log  cabin  single-handed,  and  with  only 
an  axe,  is  a  substantial  undertaking,  and,  though 
I  was  hardened  with  months  of  "  roughing  it,"  I 
found  it  arduous  work.  Standing  trees  had  to  be 
felled,  lobbed  of  their  branches,  and  the  heavy 
trunks  carried  from  all  directions  to  the  site  of 
the  cabin  :  afterwards  the  labour  of  construction. 

Working  steadily  from  dawn  till  dusk,  in  three 
weeks  my  "  home  "  was  finished — moss  packed 
between  the  horizontal  tree-trunk  cracks,  and 
mud-plastered  outside  against  penetrating  wind 
and  cold.  If  you  have  lived  long  months  in  the 
open  in  all  weathers,  you  will  know,  when  you 
reach  habitation,  the  wonderful  luxury  and  rest- 
fulness  of  living  with  a  roof  overhead,  a  place 
for  one's  belongings,  and  a  completely  sheltered 
cook-fire ;  and  when  it  is  driving  rain  out-doors, 
or  blowing  a  wild  old  gale,  or  snowing  pitilessly, 


112         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

or  freezing  bitterly  steel-cold,  you  may  know 
what  it  is  to  draw  up  to  your  glowing  log-fire  or 
lie  snug  in  your  deer-skin  bag  on  your  branch- 
formed  bed — if  it  be  night — and  feel  altogether 
glad  that  you  have  not  to  rise  up  and  go  out  and 
do  battle  with  the  elements. 

Meantime,  in  the  northern  latitude  the  seasons 
were  changing. 

By  mid-September  the  leaves  of  the  birch  trees 
had  completely  faded  to  tints  of  yellow  and 
yellow  chrome,  and  many  had  fallen.  Summer 
birds  had  gone  south,  and  their  notes  and  cheep- 
ings  were  gone  from  the  woods  which  held  but 
the  chatter  of  an  odd  red  squirrel  or  the  whistle 
of  a  friendly  jay.  Evening  crept  down  earlier 
than  hitherto.  Night  after  night  Northern  Lights 
be-ribboned  the  sky  as  they  fleeted  across  the 
zone  from  west  to  north-east  ("  The  dance  of  the 
spirits,"  the  Indians  call  this  beautiful  pheno- 
menon) ;  and  always,  now,  when  the  wind  veered 
to  the  north  it  had  the  bitter  chill  of  snow  in  it. 

On  September  16  there  were  snow  showers ; 
on  the  24th  snow,  and  wind,  and  rain. 

At  the  end  of  the  month  all  leaves  had  fallen, 
and  I  walked  in  a  land  of  mourning,  half-thinking 
to  step  light-footed  lest  I  disturbed  the  dead  in 
a  vast,  deserted  hall  where  even  the  evergreen 
spruce  and  pine  frowned  down  on  me  darkly. 

Those  were  days  of  brooding  grey  skies — days  of 
frost  and  biting  wind:  days  of  repentance  and  thaw. 

With  October  came  freeze-up  and  snow,  while 
Snow  Buntings  were  about  the  wood-bottoms  and 
lake-shores,  and  passing  on  south  in  migration. 
On  October  2  the  thermometer  dropped  sharply 


THE  FREEZE-UP  113 

and  all  the  following  day  a  snowstorm  raged.  .  .  . 
Winter  had  come. 

Thereafter  for  many  days  land  and  water  were 
binding  in  iron  ice-grip.  Night  after  night  the 
unspeakable  silence  of  the  great  snowland  was 
broken  by  the  awesome,  re-echoing  sound  of 
rending  ice  as  frozen  surfaces  strained  and  con- 
tracted relentlessly,  and  split  from  end  to  end 
in  the  all-powerful  grip  of  zero  weather.  Re- 
peatedly, nightly,  the  eerie  sound  broke  on  the 
near  shores  to  disturb  a  lone  man's  slumbers, 
and  passed,  with  rise  and  fall  of  key,  boom — boom 
— booming,  away  into  the  level  distance  of  the 
outer  lake,  to  die  in  desolate  cryings. 

By  the  end  of  October  the  land  was  in  the  grasp 
of  deep  winter,  which  would  rule  for  five  to  six 
months  unremittingly. 

But  winter  had  been  late  in  coming,  for  the 
Indians  at  Fort  Du  Brochet  say  this  was  the 
most  open  Fall  they  had  experienced  in  the  past 
eight  years.  Be  that  as  it  may — and  I  had  come 
to  be  dubious  of  all  Indian  records  of  time — 
winter  had  come,  and  with  it  the  Caribou. 

On  November  4,  late  in  the  evening,  an  excited 
Indian  brought  news  that  Caribou  had  been  seen. 
They  had  been  encountered,  north  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  coming  from  the  east,  and  crossing 
the  Cochrane  River.  He  told  me,  "  Plenty  deer  ; 
to-morrow  we  kill,  and  have  plenty  meat." 
"  Would  I  go  ?  "  he  asked,  to  my  astonishment, 
while  he  drank  strong  tea  with  me  and  smoked  a 

Pipe- 
Now  in  my  experience  the  Indians  (I  mean  the 


114         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

unspoiled  Indians  of  the  Far  North)  test  a  white 
man  in  their  own  peculiar  way  before  they  accept 
or  reject  his  friendship  as  good  or  bad,  though 
they  do  it  so  delicately  that  you  may  be  unaware 
of  their  intentions.  Observant  at  all  times,  they 
are  extraordinarily  keen-sighted  in  reading  any 
mute  sign  of  any  phase  of  nature ;  and  quickly 
read  character  in  the  face,  and  in  actions.  I  had 
come  among  those  reticent  Indians  a  stranger, 
but  ultimately  I  found  that  mine  was  a  case  that 
had  extreme  advantages.  Primarily  I  knew 
something  of  Wild  Life  after  their  own  manner, 
and  could  talk  to  them  in  their  own  way  ;  which 
was  generally  to  illustrate  a  sentiment  or  a  des- 
cription through  the  medium  of  an  object,  or  a 
living  animal,  bird,  plant,  or  element  with  which 
they  were  very  familiar.  Indians  are  intensely 
reflective,  and  they  have  strange  names  for  wise 
members  of  their  tribes  which  go  to  show  this. 
I  give  a  translation  of  two  of  the  best  I  have 
heard.  "  The  silent  snows  are  falling,  forming 
signs."  .  .  .  "  He  listens  to  the  unseen  Rapids." 
Secondarily,  I  was  not  trapping  fur,  not,  therefore, 
encroaching  on  the  rights  to  territory  which  were 
the  red  man's  by  heritage.  The  research  work  I 
did  was  full  of  interest  to  them.  For  hours  I  have 
had  Indians  squat  and  watch  me  skin  birds — a 
proceeding  they  had  never  witnessed  before — 
or  skin  an  animal  for  remounting  :  which  meant 
cutting  the  skin  so  differently  from  that  of  a  fur 
pelt,  and  the  preservation  of  the  limb-bones  and 
skull.  Finally,  but  not  the  least  noteworthy,  if 
you  have  a  mind  to  humour  Indians,  on  rare 
occasions  I  played  a  few  'pipe-marches  on  a 


WITH  INDIAN  HUNTING  PARTY         115 

Chanter,  which  astonished  and  delighted  a  people 
who  are  passionately  fond  of  music  in  any  form. 

How  far  those  little  incidents  had  gone  toward 
making  up  the  approval  and  goodwill  of  the 
Indians  I  had  had  no  inkling,  nor  had  I  given 
the  subject  a  thought  until  this  day  of  Caribou 
arrival.  But  now  I  had  been  asked  to  join  them 
on  the  morrow,  and  go  with  them  to  this  secret 
place  the  Caribou  were  passing.  I  may  be  for- 
given if  I  was  pleased  at  this  certain  sign  of 
friendliness  on  the  part  of  this  once-wonderful, 
fast-declining  race  of  hunters,  who  speak  mostly 
by  actions  and  rarely  by  words.  Having  a  great 
admiration  for  the  intelligence  and  skill  of  the 
good  old-world  type  of  Indian — and  they  still 
exist  in  the  Far  North — I  confess  I  was  glad  to 
think  that  I  was  to  be  one  of  such  a  party  in  their 
hunting ;  though  I,  later,  was  to  learn  that  the 
morrow  held  for  me  yet  another  Indian  test — 
the  last  they  ever  asked  of  me. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  in  the  small  hours  of  the 
following  morning  (3  a.m.)  a  guttural  voice  hailed 
me  from  outside  my  cabin  door  and  I  drowsily 
extricated  myself  from  out  my  fur  sleeping-bag 
to  open  the  door  and  admit  icy  blast ;  and 
not  one  Indian,  but  the  whole  hunting  party — a 
total  of  seven.  They  had  left  the  Post  half  an 
hour  ago  and  were  on  their  way  to  the  hunting- 
ground.  ...  I  was  to  hurry,  and  come  with 
them. 

By  necessity  in  the  northland  one  sleeps  in  most 
of  one's  clothing  for  warmth,  for  one  had  long 
left  behind  the  land  of  wardrobes,  and  blankets, 
and  beds — and  so  in  no  time  I  was  ready  to  join 


116          THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

the  others ;  fur  clad,  as  all  the  Indians  were,  in 
outer  garment  of  Eskimo  kind — a  pull-over,  shirt- 
like,  hooded  upper  garment,  and  trousers  reaching 
below  the  knee — all  native-tanned  Caribou  hide 
with  the  long  thick  hair  outside.  On  our  feet 
moccasins — that  finest  of  light  footwear  for  fast 
travelling  and  stealthy  hunting. 

I  took  down  my  rifle  and  we  filed  out  of  the 
cabin  and  started  off. 

Outside  the  rright-sky  was  dull  and  grey,  but  a 
fair  light  was  thrown  on  the  snow  by  the  cloud- 
obscured  moon,  which  was  full. 

Led  by  Gewgewsh,  one  of  the  best  and  most 
active  hunters  in  the  territory,  the  party  trailed 
ahead  in  single  file,  at  great  speed  and  without 
any  seeming  effort.  With  unerring  knowledge  of 
"  lie  "  of  land,  and  every  nature  of  obstacle  to 
avoid,  those  Indians  chose  the  easiest  and 
quickest  line  of  travel  to  a  definite  objective  ahead. 
As  they  travelled  one  could  hear  the  low  tones  of 
their  hurried  laughter  and  guttural  speech,  for 
excitement  was  intense  among  the  Indians. 
They  were  keen  sportsmen,  keen  as  children  on 
an  exciting  game,  and  above  all  they  had  been 
talking  and  dreaming  of  Caribou  for  weeks,  and 
they  knew  that  to-day  they  would  kill  and  have 
meat  at  last,  and  after  a  summer  of  fish -food 
their  palates,  and  the  palates  of  their  squaws  and 
papooses,  were  languishing  for  fresh  meat. 

About  5.30  a.m.  the  party  reached  a  chain  of 
small  lakes  which  it  was  necessary  to  cross ; 
unmapped  lakes  that  linked  up  with  Reindeer 
Lake  further  south.  Those  lakes  had  a  strong 
current  running  through  them,  and  because  of  this 


CROSSING  OPEN  WATER  117 

current  the  Indians  would  not  risk  crossing  on 
the  lake  ice  at  present — a  month  later,  yes  ! 
Therefore  the  party  halted  at  a  narrow  neck 
between  two  lakes,  through  which  open,  fast- 
flowing  water  passed.  Here  it  was  planned  to 
cross  by  raft ;  and  speedily,  with  the  faultless 
precision  of  men  who  knew  exactly  what  they 
wanted,  some  trees  were  felled  and  the  construc- 
tion of  a  raft  begun.  Eight  stout  logs  were  cut 
and  laid  together  over  cross-poles  at  either  end 
and  bound  firmly  in  position.  This  done  another 
tier  of  logs  was  placed  on  top  so  that  the  total 
timbers  would  float  the  weight  of  a  man.  The 
completed  raft  was  about  2  ft.  6  in.  x  9  ft.  6  in. 
Satisfied  all  was  then  in  readiness  to  go  forward, 
and  as  time  was  not  pressing,  for  it  was  still 
night,  everyone  adjourned  to  the  blazing  fire 
which  two  of  the  Indians  had  kindled,  and 
partook  of  tea  and  food.  How  welcome  was  fire 
and  tea  in  the  bitter  cold  morning  to  both  Indian 
and  White. 

The  picture  about  the  fire  was  striking.  A 
group  of  fur- clad,  gracefully  athletic-looking 
Indians  standing  or  squatting  near  their  firearms 
beneath  the  gloom  of  dark-boughed  spruce  forest 
which  night  had  not  yet  left ;  feather-flaked 
snow  falling  lightly,  stippling  the  air  in  its  sus- 
tained, unhurried  descent,  and  whitening  the 
hooded  heads  and  shoulders  of  the  men ; 
inside  the  circle  leaped  the  eager  flames  of  the 
log-fire,  lightening  the  underside  of  the  nearest 
snow-laden  spruce  boughs,  and  casting  a  glowing 
touch  of  light  on  the  meditative,  strong,  bronze- 
dark  faces  of  the  Redskins. 


118         THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

Before  long  it  was  decided  to  move  on.  It 
was  then  close  upon  dawn,  which  would  be  about 
7  a.m.,  and  clear  daylight  about  8  a.m.  The  raft 
was  carried  to  the  water's  edge  and  floated  on  the 
stream,  a  rope  attached  to  it,  and  then  Gew- 
gewsh  poled  his  way  skilfully  over  to  the  oppo- 
site shore.  Once  across  he  tied  another  rope 
to  the  raft ;  and  then,  by  see-saw  method,  it  was 
pulled  from  shore  to  shore,  each  time  carrying 
from  one  side  a  single  passenger,  until  all  were 
across. 

Once  all  were  on  the  far  bank  conversation 
ceased  and  the  party  moved  quietly  inland 
expectant  of  soon  meeting  Caribou.  Coming, 
after  a  time,  to  a  small  inland  lake,  the  first 
indications  of  Caribou  were  found — fresh  hoof- 
marks  on  the  smooth  snow  surface.  Thereupon 
the  party  changed  its  composition,  Gewgewsh 
and  another  Indian  going  off  in  a  north-east 
direction  to  follow  up  the  fresh  tracks,  while 
the  main  party  continued  south-east.  The  two 
hunters  had  barely  left  us  when  we  heard  them 
commence  to  shoot.  Six  shots  they  fired ;  one 
of  which  hit  the  object,  as  was  easy  to  infer  by 
the  odd  sound  of  the  dull  plunk  of  the  bullet  as 
it  struck  home.  Soon  the  main  party  sighted 
Caribou — three  bucks  on  an  open  pine-wood 
hillside.  Upon  those  a  regular  fusilade  of  in- 
effective shots  was  fired  by  the  excited  Indians  ; 
and  then  a  general  rush  to  head  them  off,  as  they 
crossed  running  west,  and  more  shots  during 
which  one  Caribou  was  brought  down.  The 
animal  was  cut  and  disembowelled  where  it  had 
fallen,  and  left  unconcernedly  to  be  gathered 


HUNTING  ALONE  119 

later  without  an  apparent  glance  to  establish  its 
location  in  forest  that  I  would  have  had  to  blaze 
a  tree  or  two  and  take  careful  bearings  if  I  was 
to  be  sure  of  ever  finding  the  spot  again.  The 
shooting  of  the  Indians — never  brilliant — up  to 
the  present  had  been  particularly  bad.  They  are, 
however,  seen  to  better  advantage  when  hunting 
more  or  less  alone,  and  when  not  unbalanced  by 
ovei'-eagerness  to  secure  first  blood  ;  as  they  this 
day  were.  Continuing,  the  party  shortly  after- 
wards again  dismembered  ;  three  of  the  Indians 
going  off  south-east,  and  the  remaining  two  and 
self  heading  now  more  south-west.  We  sighted 
two  Caribou  standing  in  an  open  space,  but  they 
jumped  off  into  the  scrub  so  hurriedly  that  it 
was  impossible  to  shoot.  About  this  time  the 
two  Indians  with  me  (the  man  who  had  asked 
me  to  come  and  another)  appeared  anxious  to  go 
off  by  themselves.  Until  now  I  had  been  an 
interested  spectator,  but  not  without  inner  ex- 
citement and  inclination  to  try  my  luck,  so 
suspecting  nothing,  and  assuming  we  would  meet 
again  at  the  raft- crossing,  I  wished  them  good 
luck  and  struck  into  the  forest  alone.  I  had  gone 
no  great  distance  before  I  came  on  three,  or  four, 
Caribou  feeding  in  low-lying  scrub  forest.  Among 
them  was  a  fine  buck,  and  this  animal  I  succeeded 
in  bringing  down,  while  the  others  vanished 
through  the  timber.  My  quarry  was  not  dead, 
but  it  was  not  difficult  to  track  him  to  where  he 
had  collapsed  in  a  muskeg  bottom  a  short  dis- 
tance away,  and  dispatch  him  with  a  fatal  shot. 
It  was  then  about  10  a.m.  It  was  still  snowing, 
but  less  cold — not  a  bad  day  to  stand  about  in ; 


120          THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

and  as  the  Caribou  was  a  fine  animal  I  decided 
that  this  was  a  good  opportunity  to  secure  a 
museum  specimen.  Therefore  I  gave  up  further 
idea  of  hunting,  got  a  good  fire  going  near  the 
carcass,  and  set  about  comfortably  skinning  the 
animal.  I  got  through  with  my  task  sometime 
about  1  p.m.,  having  then  the  head,  limb-bones, 
and  skin  complete.  I  then  drank  a  refreshing 
brew  of  tea,  for  one  always  carries  a  pan  for  that 
purpose,  and  prepared  to  go  back  to  the  raft. 
I  had  brought  my  camera  out,  and  food  for  an- 
other day  :  this  weight  I  discarded  for  the  time 
and  left  beside  the  carcass  of  the  Caribou  before 
I  covered  it  over  with  a  mass  of  spruce  branches 
to  frighten  off  prowling  animals,  particularly 
timber-wolves.  The  raw  hide  and  limb  bones 
and  antlered  head  were  then  made  into  a  pack 
and  I  started  for  home  from  a  place  I  had  never 
seen  before  and  that  I  had  entered  with  the 
guidance  of  Indians.  Had  it  not  been  snowing 
my  return  would  have  been  arrived  at  simply 
by  following  back  on  my  old  tracks,  but  these 
were  covered  an  hour  or  two  ago.  However 
I  had  no  doubt  about  the  main  direction,  and 
about  8  p.m.  I  was  at  the  narrows.  Not  knowing 
the  country,  I  was  at  fault  in  meeting  obstacles 
which  I  lost  time  in  getting  round,  and,  indeed, 
finally  reached  the  chain  of  lakes  below  the  narrows, 
having  to  work  up-shore  until  I  came  to  them. 
To  my  astonishment,  when  I  reached  the  narrows, 
I  saw  that  the  raft  lay  across  on  the  opposite 
shore.  The  Indians  had  gone  home  !  They  had 
not  waited  for  me  ! 

Not  then,  but  later  I  learnt  that  they  had  done 


WADING  THROUGH  ICE-WATER          121 

so  to  know  if  they  could  trust  me  in  bushcraft. 
It  was  a  test — perhaps  a  stern  test — for  think 
of  it  if  I  had  been  a  tenderfoot,  and  lost,  and  out 
at  night  in  bitter  cold ;  probably  they  did  not 
even  know  if  I  had  matches  to  make  fire  :  if  one 
had  not,  God  help  him ! 

There  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  face  the 
crossing  and  endure  a  cold  plunge,  so,  with  my 
pack  held  high,  I  waded  into  the  icy  water,  which 
I  was  glad  to  find  came  no  higher  than  my  chest, 
and  I  was  able  to  cross  without  swimming,  which 
would  have  been  an  even  more  unpleasant  ex- 
perience, with  the  current  and  heavy  pack  to 
deal  with.  Thereafter  I  passed  onward  to  my 
cabin  at  a  hurried  pace  to  keep  up  circulation, 
so  that  my  body  and  limbs  would  not  be  frozen. 
I  reached  my  destination  about  5.30  p.m.,  shortly 
after  dark — and  none  too  soon,  for  by  that  time 
the  garments  that  had  been  under  water  were 
frozen  stiff  and  rasped  awkwardly  against  my 
limbs,  while  alarming  cold  was  getting  at  my 
body. 

Later  in  the  evening  I  tramped  through  the 
woods  into  Fort  Du  Brochet  and  the  Indians  were 
glad  to  see  me.  I  noticed,  though  I  then  knew 
not  their  purpose,  that  they  exchanged  furtive 
glances,  but  made  no  remark  that  might  infer  that 
my  appearance  was  other  than  ordinary.1 

At  the   Post  the  day's  *  experiences  were  re- 

1  I  may  here  say  that  from  that  day  I  went  among  the  Indians, 
and  hunted  and  travelled  with  them,  and  knew  I  was  henceforth 
accepted  as  one  of  themselves,  and  was  given  a  Chipewyan 
name  which  meant  "  Caribou  Antler  " — a  thing  that  was  thin 
but  hard  and  strong. 


122         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

counted,  and  I  heard  that  the  total  Caribou 
killed  numbered  fifteen. 

My  observations  of  the  day  record :  The  wind 
was  from  the  south  and  the  Caribou  were  travel- 
ling up-wind  as  is  always  their  custom.  .  .  . 
Ravens  plentiful,  following  the  Caribou.  .  .  . 
Saw  one  fox,  and  heard  another  barking  in  thick 
timber. 

Before  daylight  I  was  out  again  next  morning 
back  on  my  tracks  of  yesterday  to  bring  in  the 
fresh  meat  of  the  animal  I  had  killed.  At  the 
narrows  I  took  off  my  clothes  before  crossing  and 
carried  them  over  on  my  head.  It  was  bitterly 
cold  while  undressing  and  while  in  the  water,  and 
I  was  so  frightfully  numbed  and  helpless  by  the 
time  I  was  again  dressed  that  I  hastily  kindled 
a  log  fire  and  cowered  miserably  over  it  until 
circulation  returned.  I  had  been  foolish  in  un- 
dressing, but  heated  with  travelling  the  trail 
from  the  cabin  to  the  narrows  I  had  under- 
estimated the  cold,  and  all  but  suffered  frost-bite 
for  my  folly.  After  careful  travelling  over  the 
ground  hunted  over  yesterday,  I  got  out  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  yesterday's  kill  and  soon 
located  my  cache,  though  snow  had  covered  it 
since  I  had  left,  and  it  was  well  I  had  blazed  a 
tree  or  two  for  guidance.  I  thereupon  made  a 
pack  of  my  camera  and  as  much  meat  as  I  could 
carry,  and  started  homewards  again. 

About  midday  I  threw  down  my  heavy  pack, 
and  made  fire  for  a  meal  on  the  margin  of  a  small 
lake.  It  was  a  good  place  to  see  Caribou  if  any 
were  near,  and  before  I  was  half  through  my  meal 
I  looked  up  from  my  seat  by  the  fire  to*  see  four 


ATTACK   BY  WOUNDED   CARIBOU        123 

animals  trotting  across  the  ice.  These  I  at  once 
commenced  to  approach  and  succeeded  in  wound- 
ing a  young  buck.  When  I  came  up  to  him  he 
was  not  dead,  but  I  thought  he  was  helpless,  and 
was  carelessly  approaching  him  when,  to  my 
astonishment,  he  rose  and  plunged  at  me.  He 
had  only  antlers  about  the  size  of  an  adult  doe, 
and  I  managed  to  avoid  them,  though  his  side 
brushed  heavily  against  me  as  he  passed.  It  was 
an  action  of  despair,  however,  for  the  poor  brute 
went  no  distance  before  he  collapsed  again,  and 
I  despatched  him  with  a  merciful  bullet.  I  killed 
many  Caribou  later,  but  this  is  the  only  case  when 
I  experienced  one  of  those  animals  attempting 
to  show  fight.  It,  however,  bore  out  what  the 
Indians  had  told  me,  for  they  said  such  a  thing 
sometimes  happened.  After  returning  to  my 
fire  and  finishing  my  meal,  I  cleaned  my  kill  and 
left  it  lying,  after  covering  the  carcass  with  spruce 
branches  as  before. 

It  is  strange  to  you,  no  doubt,  but  true  of 
one's  ordinary  habits  in  the  North,  that  it  was 
fully  two  weeks  later  ere  I  trailed  with  dog-team 
to  this  lake,  uncovered  the  cache  and  cut  up  the 
frozen  carcass  with  an  axe  to  load  it  on  the  sled  ; 
then,  moving  on  to  collect  another  hidden  animal 
at  another  distant  point,  finally  to  carry  them 
back  to  my  cabin  for  food  for  my  huskies  (sled- 
dogs). 

However,  to  return  to  my  pack  :  after  caching 
the  Caribou,  I  loaded  up  and  continued  home- 
ward. On  the  way  I  encountered  three  more 
lots  of  Caribou  but  did  not  molest  them.  It  is 
noteworthy  that  the  wind  was  from  the  north 


124         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

this  day,  and  the  Caribou  seen  were  all  travelling 
north,  up- wind,  though  it  meant  that  they  were 
going  opposite  to  the  direction  they  had  been 
travelling  on  the  previous  day.  The  big  lake 
(Reindeer  Lake),  which  strong  winds  keep  in 
motion  after  smaller  lakes  are  ice-bound,  was  not 
yet  completely  and  solidly  frozen  up,  and  the 
Caribou  appeared  to  be  feeding  around  the  north- 
eastern shores,  possibly  waiting  to"  get  out  to  the 
extensive  surface  and  reach  the  rich  feeding 
grounds  on  the  countless  islands.  On  the  other 
hand  the  direction  of  the  wind  seemed  to  have 
strong  influence  on  their  movements. 

Regarding  pack- carry  ing,  which  I  am  reminded 
of  by  the  burden  this  day  carried,  I  kept  the 
meat  load  intact  that  I  brought  in,  which  I  had 
packed  for  five  hours — possibly,  in  that  time 
covering  a  distance  of  some  twelve  miles — over 
hill  and  muskeg,  and  through  snow;  and  next 
day  had  it  weighed  at  the  Hudson  Bay  Post. 
It  was  65  Ibs.  This  is  a  fair  load — a  load  that 
strained  me  to  carry  it  the  prolonged  distance. 

I  am  not  physically  a  strong  man,  but  I  had 
been  all  summer  on  the  canoe  trail  and  was 
hardened  and  inured  to  the  toil  of  portaging  over- 
land at  bad  rapids  or  inland  to  lakes.  Judging 
things  by  the  weight  of  the  above  pack  I  would 
say  an  able  Indian  could  comfortably  burden 
himself  with  80  to  100  Ibs.  for  a  long  distance. 
To  expect  him  to  carry  more,  if  he  was  in  your 
service,  would  be  unjust,  though  I  have  found 
good  Indians  will  attempt  carrying  excessive 
weights  rather  than  admit  the  smallest  sign  of 
weakness  to  a  white  man. 


CARRYING   PACK-LOAD  125 

A  pack  load  is  a  bundle  bound  firmly  together 
after  the  shape  of  a  flour  sack,  and  a  half-circle 
of  cord,  or  leather  thong,  is  formed  into  a  carry- 
ing strap,  so  that  when  the  pack  is  hoisted  high 
on  one's  back  between  the  shoulders,  this  cord 
is  slipped  over  to  the  forehead,  and  rests  there,  and 
thus  sustains  the  load  in  position,  leaving  the 
hands  free  to  carry  your  rifle  and  assist  in  easing 
the  pressure  of  the  load  from  time  to  time. 
The  chief  strain  you  will  feel,  if  you  are  unused 
to  the  pack  trail,  will  be  on  the  back  of  the  neck, 
for  the  weight  of  the  load  is  heavily  on  your 
forehead  and  tends  to  strain  your  head  back- 
ward. Of  course  if  your  strap,  or  "  tump-line," 
is  of  rope,  a  pad  of  cloth  or  grass  will  be  placed 
between  the  rope  and  your  forehead  to  prevent 
its  cutting  into  the  flesh.  A  made  leather  tump- 
line  has  a  broad  web  where  it  passes  across  the 
forehead. 

Those  experiences  I  have  recorded  are  similar 
to  many  that  followed  during  the  winter,  too 
numerous  to  describe  in  detail. 

In  time  I  had  secured,  for  museum  purposes, 
handsome  specimens  of  the  Barren- ground 
Caribou  in  winter  coat — an  adult  male,  an  adult 
female,  and  a  yearling  fawn  (male). 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  size  of  these  animals,  the 
male  measured  forty- eight  inches  from  hoofs  to 
the  highest  part  of  back  (the  haunch),  the  female 
forty- two  inches,  and  the  fawn  thirty- seven 
inches.  In  colour  the  winter  coat  of  the  male 
is :  Back,  sides,  legs,  and  head,  medium  dark 
umber-brown ;  fore- shoulders,  and  entire  neck, 
above  and  below,  dull  white ;  tail  shows  white 
10 


126         THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

when  erected,  as  it  most  often  is  (it  is,  however, 
brown  on  the^  upper  side)  ;  breast  and  belly  are 
brown  like  upper  parts,  but  turning  to  white 
toward  rear,  between  hind  legs.  A  grey  strip 
(a  mingling  of  the  white  and  the  brown  hairs) 
runs  horizontally  along  the  middle  sides  from  the 
white  of  the  shoulders  to  within  eight  inches  of 
the  hind-quarters ;  ears  and  upper  forehead, 
grey.  The  adult  female  is,  generally,  much 
lighter  in  colour  than  the  male ;  rear  of  back, 
legs,  and  nose  were  in  this  specimen  the  only 
parts  brown ;  middle  sides,  hind-quarters,  lower 
limbs,  forehead,  and  ears,  greyish ;  remainder, 
white.  The  fawn  was  very  similar  in  colour  to 
the  female.  Both  male  and  female  have  antlers, 
the  males  having  a  great  backward,  outward- 
curving  length  ;  the  females  short  and  symmetrical 
like  those  of  a  young  buck.  In  early  winter  some 
of  the  bucks  still  carry  antlers,  but  the  greater 
number  of  animals  have  cast  them  at  that  time. 

They  are  graceful  animals,  particularly  grace- 
ful when  they  are  in  alert  motion,  and  carry 
fine  suggestion  of  indomitable  pride.  They 
trot  with  easy,  swinging,  far-reaching  strides, 
with  movement  lithe  and  muscular.  The  fore- 
feet are  flung  high  with  sharp -angled  knee  action 
(like  a  well- broken  hackney),  while  the  hindlegs 
stretch  well  back  before  they  thrust  the  body 
forward.  Caribou  sometimes  start  off,  if  fright- 
ened suddenly,  by  rearing  in  the  air  with  a  power- 
ful spring  of  the  hindlegs. 

The  track  of  Caribou  on  snow  is  a  line  of 
single  hoof-prints  running  out  one  point  directly  in 
front  of  the  other — not  any  two  hoofs  together — 


THE   SOUNDLESS   LAND  127 

not  any  hoof-print  on  the  left  side  or  right  side. 
A  typical  measurement  of  the  span  between 
hoof-prints  is  twenty-five  inches,  from  front  of 
one  hoof  to  rear  of  the  next  in  front ;  an  ordinary 
hoof- mark  measures  four- and- a-half  inches  by 
seven- and- a-quarter  inches.  The  above  of  course 
refers  to  the  track  of  a  single  animal.  Caribou 
are  much  given  to  follow  in  Indian-file  one  after 
the  other,  and  soon  tread  down  a  regular  path  of 
footprints  in  the  snow. 

During  the  next  two  months  I  travelled 
through  regions  that  were  wrapped  in  resolute 
Arctic  winter,  vast  regions  formidably  hushed, 
incalculably  desolate ;  more  completely  impover- 
ished of  life  and  activity  than  any  words  can 
depict.  One  moved  in  a  soundless  land,  a  land 
that  was  deaf  and  dumb  and  had  no  organ  of  ex- 
pression ;  and  one  could  understand,  while  living 
in  this  place  of  dead,  why  men  go  mad  under  the 
awful  shadow  of  utter  loneliness,  and  under  the 
unspoken,  fanciful  questioning  which  unmitigated 
space  will  prompt  and  throw  back  unanswered, 
touched  with  a  sense  of  discouraging  mockery. 
In  many  places  there  are  not  even  Caribou ; 
not  one  single  moving* object  in  a  day's  trail  over 
dreary  snowfields.  In  such  regions,  in  deep 
winter  when  the  thermometer  is  anything  from 
ten  to  sixty  degrees  below  zero,  one's  salvation 
is  companionship.  At  such  a  time  I  have  learned 
that  it  is  folly  to  go  beyond  the  last  outpost 
without  a  comrade,  even  if  that  comrade  only 
be  an  Indian — and  there  is  no  finer,  more  unselfish 
comrade  on  a  hard  trail  than  just  an  Indian. 
Starvation,  sickness,  frostbite,  madness  :  any  of 


128          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

those  might  carry  one  "  across  the  line  "  in  but 
an  hour  or  two  if  one  was  stricken  when  out  alone 
in  the  all-forsaken  land  of  merciless  cold. 

However,  to  return  to  the  Caribou  and  the 
main  object  of  this  narrative,  during  my  winter 
travels  I  was  fortunate  to  see  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  those  graceful  animals. 

Once  in  particular  I  witnessed  the  purposeful 
migration  of  Caribou.  This  was  when  returning 
in  December,  short  of  food  and  short  of  sled- 
dogs,  from  the  region  of  the  Barren  Lands,  where 
no  Caribou  had  been  seen.  Indeed,  not  one 
animal  was  encountered  north  of  the  locality  I 
speak  of,  a  point  about  sixty  miles  north  of  Rein- 
deer Lake.  Here  one  morning,  after  camping  over- 
night on  the  edge  of  a  small  lake  that  only 
had  a  range  of  view  of  about  a  mile,  from  day- 
light until  I  struck  camp  about  11  a.m.,  I 
witnessed  countless  herds  of  Caribou  crossing  the 
lake  in  a  south-easterly  direction — one  herd 
following  another,  company  on  company,  regi- 
ment on  regiment :  and  they  were  still  passing 
when  I  left.  It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate 
them.  One  could  not  tell  where  the  column 
began  nor  where  it  ended,  nor  if  similar  columns 
were  passing  behind  us  to  the  north  or  beyond 
vision  in  the  south.  I  attempted  to  count  some 
herds  as  they  crossed  ;  one  numbered  close  on  one 
hundred  before  it  disappeared  into  the  forest  and 
I  could  count  no  further.  Many  were  bands  of 
between  twenty  and  forty.  All  appeared  intent 
on  travelling,  and  were,  as  far  as  one  could  see, 
all  does  and  fawns.  The  Indians  assert  that  the 
does  and  fawns  are  now  moving  north  again 


CARIBOU   IN   MIGRATION  129 

(December  20),  and  say  that  this  is  about  their 
usual  time  for  doing  so.  However,  the  migration 
I  witnessed  was  going  south-east,  as  I  have  said, 
though  I  cannot  deny  that  if  the  wind  veered 
to  the  north  they  would  almost  certainly  swing 
in  that  direction.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  always  travel  up- wind,  and  that  they 
only  gain  distance  in  whatever  determined  direc- 
tion they  are  travelling  by  going  forward  more 
rapidly  in  a  favourable  head-wind,  and  returned 
more  slowly  on  an  adverse  head- wind.  It  appears 
to  me  something  like  incoming  tide  on  the  sea- 
shore ;  waves  washing  forward  and  drawing  back, 
but  ever  reaching  further  and  further  up  the 
beach  to  the  distance  they  are  set  to  gain.  I 
believe  the  strongest  motive  the  animals  have  in 
travelling  up-wind  is  a  very  simple  one,  that  of 
comfort  and  warmth  (as  a  seabird  riding  the  waves), 
since  the  wind  then  blows  the  way  the  hair  lies 
on  the  animals.  A  further  motive  is  that  in 
thus  travelling  they  are  assured  that  their  keen 
scent  will  warn  them  if  they  are  approaching 
danger. 

Caribou  I  also  conclude  are  rather  an  elusive 
quantity.  They  may  be  here  to-day  and  gone 
to-morrow,  and  not  an  animal  may  be  seen  in  a 
certain  locality  for  a  week  or  two  weeks .  Then  one 
day  you  may  find  they  have  returned — or  is  it  a 
fresh  lot  arrived  ?  In  December  there  were  no 
tracks  or  signs  of  Caribou  north  of  latitude  59°. 
Southwards,  between  latitudes  58°  and  59°,  the 
great  herds  above  mentioned  were  encountered. 
Yet  when  I  got  into  Du  Brochet  Post  again  (a  little 
south  of  latitude  58°)  the  Indians  complained 


130          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

of  the  Caribou  being  very  scarce,  and  all  were 
anxious  about  .meat.  In  January  I  travelled  south 
on  the  great  sea-like  area  of  ice-bound  Reindeer 
Lake.  At  that  time  Caribou  were  plentiful  on 
the  lake  except  toward  the  south  end,  where  there 
were  few,  and  the  people  at,  the  Hudson  Bay 
Post  then  had  very  little  meat.  Possibly  Caribou 
came  down  after  I  left,  for  I  believed  the  bucks 
to  be  still  working  south. 

However,  the  Indians  tell  me  that  when  the 
Caribou  fail  to  pass  their  neighbourhood  as  they 
have  been  accustomed  to  doing,  they  are  some- 
times forced  to  travel  and  camp  in  a  favoured 
locality  so  that  they  may  kill  their  winter  store  of 
meat  and  not  starve. 

Whenever  I  had  the  opportunity  I  closely 
questioned  Indians  regarding  the  numbers  of 
the  Barren-ground  Caribou,  and  every  individual 
was  agreed  that  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rein- 
deer Lake  and  in  the  territory  north  of  it,  those 
animals  were  more  plentiful  in  1914  than  in  former 
days.  There  is  one  factor  which  perhaps  accounts 
largely  for  this  increase  of  Caribou,  and  that  is 
that  the  Chipewyan  Indians  who  inhabit  the 
territory  directly  south  of  the  Eskimo  country, 
and  who  are  called  in  their  own  language  "  The 
Caribou  Eaters,"  are  fast  dying  out,  victims 
of  interbreeding  and  consumption.  It  is  sad,  but 
woefully  true.  Philip  Merasty,  an  old  halfbreed, 
61  years  of  age,  who,  when  a  child,  came  with  his 
people  from  lie  a  la  Crosse  to  camp  at  the  north 
end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  whence  plentiful  Caribou 
meat  had  drawn  them,  told  me  that  when  he  came 
there  were  then  three  hundred  Chipewyans  in  the 


THE  CHIPEWYANS  DECREASING         181 

Du  Brochet  territory,  and  in  1914  they  num- 
bered less  than  one  hundred.  If  one  estimates 
the  Caribou  kill,  per  male  Indian  per  winter,  at 
about  forty  animals  (which  is  a  common  average 
in  my  experience,  though  it  exceeds  by  double  the 
number  Thompson  Seton  estimates  in  his  book 
The  Arctic  Prairies)  and  takes  the  adult  male  popu- 
lation as  about  one  third  of  the  whole  population, 
one  arrives  at  substantial  figures  which  show, 
in  a  broad  sense,  how  much  less  destruction  is 
taking  place  among  the  Caribou  at  the  present 
time  owing  to  the  decrease  in  Indian  population. 
I  arrive  at  figures  in  this  way  :  If  in  1864  100 
Chipewyans  killed  40  Caribou  per  head  the  total 
kill  was  4, 000  Caribou,and  if  in  1914  34  Chipewyans 
killed  40  Caribou  per  head,  the  total  kill  was  1,360. 
Therefore,  at  a  broad  estimate,  2,640  fewer  were 
killed  in  that  area  in  1914  than  fifty  years  ago ; 
and  each  year  the  conditions  are  improving — for 
the  Caribou.  Moreover,  the  territory  I  speak  of 
is  at  present  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  white 
hunter,  and  is  likely  to  remain  so  at  least  for 
another  century,  so  that  there  is  no  incoming 
race  to  counterbalance  the  outgoing  Indian. 

.When  first  encountered  the  Caribou  were  feed- 
ing on  withered  marsh-hay,  growing  sometimes 
with  tufts  still  above  the  snow,  along  the  edges 
of  the  countless  land-locked  lakes  ;  and  on  moss  of 
a  pale  greenish-white  colour  which  grows  on  sandy 
hills,  or  more  luxuriantly  in  low-lying  muskegs. 
Later  they  fed  on  similar  food,  but  had  to  dig 
through  the  snow  for  it — as  I  have  previously 
described.  In  bad  snowstorms  the  Indians  say 
the  Caribou  yard  together  after  the  manner  of 


132          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

frightened  sheep,  and  that  a  man  can  walk  in 
among  them  at  such  times ;  but  this  I  have  not 
witnessed.  The  Caribou  invariably  feed  up-wind, 
as  I  have  said,  and  travel  overland  through  the 
woods  from  lake  to  lake  along  chosen  paths  long 
established.  It  is  common  about  noon,  when 
the  animals  are  resting  after  their  morning  feed, 
to  find  Caribou  out  in  the  centre  of  a  lake,  lying 
down  or  grouped  about  resting  in  the  sunlight, 
while  the  watchful  old  leader  scans  the  open  snows 
on  all  sides,  and  sniffs  the  drifting  wind. 

If  you  have  found  Caribou  country  in  winter, 
and  can  put  up  with  intense  cold,  you  will  find 
that  the  actual  shooting  of  these  animals  is  not 
difficult.  They  are  stupid  animals  once  you 
have  frightened  them  with  a  shot,  and  if  you 
get  within  reasonable  range  of  a  band  on  a  lake 
you  are  certain  to  bag  more  than  one  of  them,  if 
you  are  anxious  to  secure  meat  or  particular 
trophies,  for  if  you  bring  down  one  with  your  first 
shot,  and  run  on  when  they  run,  the  others  will 
almost  certainly  halt  before  they  have  gone  far 
to  look  back  for  their  comrade  or  to  make  certain 
where  danger  lies,  and  you  will  have  opportunity 
for  further  shots.  To  give  an  instance  of  this  : 
on  one  occasion  a  band  of  twelve  Caribou  came  on 
to  the  lake  where  my  cabin  stood.  This  was 
bringing  dog-feed  to  my  very  door  if  I  could  effect 
a  kill — and  the  distance  you  have  to  carry  meat 
from  the  point  you  kill  to  your  camp  is  no  incon- 
siderable detail  if  time  and  labour  and  sled-dogs 
are  to  be  saved.  Therefore  I  snatched  up  my 
rifle  and  a  handful  of  cartridges  and  eagerly  gave 
chase.  Before  long,  by  hard  running  and  quick 


SHOOTING   CARIBOU  133 

shooting,  I  had  six  carcasses  lying  one  be- 
yond the  other  in  wake  of  the  confused  sheep- 
silly  band,  before  the  Caribou  got  into  the  forest 
at  the  north  end  of  the  lake ;  and  if  cartridges 
had  not  given  out  I  believe  very  few  would  have 
got  away.  This  illustrates  what  I  have  said, 
and  what  I  have  often  experienced,  for  each 
time  I  fired  the  band  started  away,  and  I  after 
them,  until  they  made  that  fatal  halt  to  look  back, 
when  I  would  halt  also,  and  pause  to  fire  again — 
and  so  on,  with  the  above  result. 

The  best  range  at  which  to  shoot  Caribou  is,  in 
my  experience,  inside  one  hundred  yards,  and  to 
shoot  to  kill  the  animal  with  a  clean  shot,  for  a 
wounded  animal,  badly  hit,  that  gets  away,  is  not 
pleasant  to  think  of,  especially  as  one  may  know 
that  the  poor  animal  will  freeze  to  death  once  it 
ceases  travelling.  Again,  a  wounded  animal  that 
you  might  follow  may  take  you  miles  off  the 
course  you  happen  to  be  travelling,  and  through 
overgrown  country  that  you  cannot  afterwards 
take  a  dog-sled  into,  to  gather  the  meat,  in  the 
event  of  your  killing  the  wounded  animal. 

I  have  killed  animals  outright  with  *303  Ross 
rifle  at  312  paces,  and  447  paces,  when  I  had  no 
alternative,  but,  irrespective  of  marksmanship, 
those  distances  are  too  great  to  make  certain  of 
clean  kills.  Shooting  in  intense  cold,  unless 
you  have  a  special-fingered  glove  and  can  shoot 
with  it  on,  you  will  almost  certainly  get  the 
fingers  of  your  right  hand  frozen,  if  you  fire 
more  than  one  or  two  shots  in  succession  with  the 
bared  hand  which  you  have  taken  from  the  heavily 
ined  deerskin  mitten.  I've  had  all  the  fingers  of 


134         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

my  shooting  hand  frozen,  sometimes  down  to  the 
second  joint,  but  if  attended  to  at  once  and 
thoroughly  chafed  with  snow  there  are  no  serious 
consequences — nothing  but  the  sharp  pain  of 
reviving  circulation,  and,  sometimes,  the  skin 
will  afterwards  blacken  and  peel  off. 

I  turn  now  to  the  Indians,  and  the  extent  of 
their  Caribou  hunting.  It  has  been  said  that 
Indians  kill  less  with  modern  weapons  than  they 
did  in  the  past  by  primitive  methods,  but  I  think 
such  a  statement  should  be  taken  with  reserva- 
tion. I  grant  that  Indians,  as  a  rule,  are  indif- 
ferent marksmen,  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
what  they  lack  in  that  respect  they  more  than 
make  up  for  in  bushcraft.  They  are  undoubtedly 
skilled  hunters,  keenly  intelligent  hunters  with 
a  second  sense — a  wild  sense  which  is  essentially 
Indian  and  which  makes  it  possible  for  them  to 
get  very  close  to  animals,  much  in  the  crafty, 
patient  manner  of  prowling  wolf  or  fox  that 
manoeuvre  to  outwit  and  come  within  striking 
distance  of  their  prey. 

On  October  21,  1913,  an  Indian  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet  was  returning  after  dark  on  the  ice 
of  Reindeer  Lake,  after  setting  out  a  trap-line, 
when  he  heard  the  muffled  thunder  of  countless 
Caribou  passing  north-east  over  the  ice.  No 
Caribou  had  been  seen  until  then.  It  was  the 
hour  of  their  coming.  This  Indian  got  back 
to  the  Post  in  great  excitement  and  soon  spread 
the  glad  news  #mong  the  half-dozen  cabins  on 
the  lake  shore.  The  following  morning  at  the 
first  faint  light  of  dawn,  the  hunters  of  the  settle- 
ment went  out  to  kill,  while  the  Caribou  con- 


SNARING   CARIBOU  135 

tinned  to  pass  all  day  over  the  same  route  which 
herds  had  been  tramping  over  all  night — a  route 
which  was  in  full  view  of  the  Post  when  day 
broke.  During  the  hunt  that  followed  two 
Indians  killed  sixty  Caribou,  and  three  others, 
forty-four  Caribou  :  a  total  of  one  hundred  and 
four  Caribou  to  five  rifles.  This  was  a  good  kill, 
for  the  conditions  were  perfect,  since  the  Caribou 
had  been  found  in  the  full  flood  of  their  migra- 
tion, and  no  distance  from  camp.  And  is  it  not 
a  better  bag  than  five  men  would  obtain  by 
snare,  and  spear,  and  muzzle-loading  gun,  in 
primitive  hunting  ?  for,  as  I  describe  below, 
it  apparently  took  a  much  greater  number  of 
men  to  effect  any  like  large  capture  in  the  past. 

The  method  of  killing  Caribou  in  numbers  in 
the  past,  in  the  territory  immediately  south  of 
the  Barren  Lands,  I  here  recount  as  more  than 
one  veteran  Indian  has  described  it  to  me  :  In 
olden  days  Caribou  were  largely  caught  in  snares. 
The  Chipewyan  tribe  in  the  whole  neighbourhood 
combined  in  one  grand  hunt  at  the  season  of  the 
Caribou  migration.  It  was  their  custom  to  select 
a  locality  in  the  forest  which  they  knew  to  be 
much  favoured  by  Caribou,  and  there  set  snares, 
made  of  stout  "  babiche "  (leather  thong),  by 
hanging  them,  at  a  height  to  form  a  head  noose, 
between  stout  trees  wherever  old  Caribou  paths 
passed.  They  would  set  a  hundred  or  more 
snares  in  this  manner  before  The  Trap  was 
complete ;  whereupon  the  hunters  who  were 
armed  with  spears  and  muzzle-loaders  took  up 
their  positions  so  as  to  watch  the  trap  and  encircle 
it  when  the  Caribou  approached.  Thereafter 


136         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

they  set  themselves  to  wait  and  watch  for  the 
approaching  herds,  and  sometimes  they  had  to 
keep  vigil  for  days.  When  Caribou  came  a  large 
number  were  allowed  to  pass  inside  the  watching 
cordon  of  Indians,  who  then  formed  a  wide 
ring  and  commenced  to  humour  them  onward 
into  the  way  of  the  snares.  When  the  animals 
were  fairly  entrapped  the  Indians  would  close 
in  from  all  sides,  driving  the  Caribou  to  their 
doom,  and  shooting  them  down  or  spearing  those 
that  tried  to  escape.  Sometimes  none  of  the 
herd  escaped  (asserted  to  be  as  many  as  two 
hundred  in  some  instances),  all  falling  prey  to 
the  Indians'  skill  and  active  watchfulness.  If 
one  bears  in  mind  the  sheep-like  tendency  of 
Caribou  to  lose  their  heads  when  thoroughly 
alarmed,  it  will  be  understood  better  how  hunting 
in  this  manner  was  practicable  to  men  with  endless 
resource  in  bushcraft. 

Caribou,  which  are  strong  swimmers,  are  also 
killed  in  numbers  when  swimming  lakes  in  their 
early  Fall  migration.  Some  Indians  on  the 
borders  of  the  Barren  Lands  make  kills  in  that 
way,  but  they  are  principally  made  in  the  Eskimo 
country,  where  the  Eskimos,  in  their  frail,  active- 
moving  kayaks,  surround  a  herd  of  animals  in  the 
water  and  spear  them  to  death. 

Having  cited  those  large  kills  of  Caribou,  past 
and  present,  I  might  be  asked,  Why  such  wasteful 
destruction  ?  In  answer,  my  experience  bids 
me  defend  the  Indians,  for  of  all  the  Caribou  I 
have  seen  shot  by  Indians  (no  inconsiderable 
number)  I  have  never  known  of  one  being  wasted. 
In  the  first  place  it  is  well  to  remember  that 


MEAT  NEEDED  FOR  MEN  AND  DOGS  187 

the  Chipewyans  look  on  the  Caribou  as  a  thing 
sent  solely  to  them  by  \The  Spirit,  to  feed 
and  clothe  them  through  winter.  Caribou  are 
essential  to  the  existence  of  those  people, 
for  the  Chipewyans  depend  largely,  almost  com- 
pletely, on  them  for  winter  food,  though  other- 
wise absolute  poverty  is  relieved  by  limited  stores 
of  frozen  fish,  and  what  few  fish  are  netted  below 
the  ice.  If  one  hears  complaints  at  all,  it  is  that 
not  enough  Caribou  can  be  found  :  never  that 
they  have  too  many  and  would  leave  some  to 
waste.  There  is  greater  use  for  large  quantities 
of  meat  than  one,  at  first  thought,  might  imagine. 
Indians  are  voracious  eaters  at  all  times,  parti- 
cularly in  the  intense  cold  winter  weather,  and 
they  eat  Caribou  meat  extravagantly  when  they 
have  it,  and  eating  it,  and  it  solely,  three  or  four 
times  a  day,  as  they  often  do,  a  single  animal  is 
soon  devoured.  Then,  too,  and  this  is  the  chief 
factor  to  be  borne  in  mind,  Caribou  are  exten- 
sively used  for  dog-feed  whenever  procurable  in 
numbers.  If  an  Indian  has  ten  sled-dogs  to  feed, 
one  carcass  cut  into  portions  will  barely  feed 
them  for  three  nights  ;  the  number  of  dogs  is 
more  often  twenty,  sometimes  thirty  or  more, 
and  the  call  on  the  food-supply  accordingly 
greater.  So  it  will  be  seen  that,  though  Indians 
kill  large  numbers  of  Caribou,  they  have  a 
definite  need  for  them  in  a  land  where  food  is  not 
bought ;  where  red  men  wrest  a  livelihood  from 
rivers  and  lake-waters,  virgin  wildernesses,  and 
dreary  snow- wastes ;  and  where  to  be  without 
food  is  to  die. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  flesh  of 


188         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

the  Caribou  is  splendid  food.  The  choice  parts 
the  Indians  select,  when  opportunity  occurs,  are 
the  tongue,  the  heart,  the  kidneys,  the  brisket, 
all  fat,  and  the  limb-bones  (after  most  of  the 
meat  has  been  removed)  for  the  marrow  therein. 
The  tongue  is  undoubtedly  the  choicest  part  of 
all,  and  a  delicious  delicacy.  In  past  days  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  annually  sent  out  from 
Du  Brochet  Post  many  tongues  and  barrels  of 
Caribou  fat  which  were  greatly  prized  by  the 
factors  farther  south. 

Indians,  as  I  have  already  said  elsewhere,  have 
an  observant  and  very  intelligent  knowledge  of 
wild  life.  This  is  borne  out  in  the  Chipewyan 
manner  of  speaking  of  Caribou,  when  hunting 
them.  They  will  not  say,  "  There  is  a  caribou" 
but  will  use  a  name  which  describes  its  indivi- 
duality as  well,  since  they  have  a  series  of  names 
which  discriminate  at  once  the  condition,  or 
age,  or  sex,  of  the  animals  they  encounter.  Thus 
names  mean :  "  a  fat  Caribou,"  "  Caribou  in 
poor  condition,"  "a  Caribou  doe  in  fawn,"  "a 
young  fawn,"  "  a  yearling  Caribou,"  "  a  three- 
year-old  Caribou,"  "  a  five-year-old  Caribou," 
41  a  doe  Caribou,"  "  a  buck  Caribou  " — and  so  on. 

As  well  as  providing  the  Chipewyans  with 
great  stores  of  winter  food  the  Caribou  supplies 
them  with  skins  for  clothing.  In  the  past, 
Caribou  skins  furnished  them  with  all  their 
material  for  clothing  and  the  covering  for  their 
teepees.  Now,  when  they  can,  they  get  white 
man's  clothing,  and  canvas  for  their  teepees,  in 
fur-barter  with  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and 
Revillion  Brothers — a  change  which  is  decaying 


CARIBOU  HIDES   AND   THEIR  USE       139 

native  skill  and  native  beauty.  There  are 
still,  however,  smoked  Caribou-skin  teepees  in 
use,  while  winter  fur  clothing,  and  moccasins 
made  from  Caribou  hides,  are  universally  worn. 
Summer  clothing — top-boot  leggings  and  shirts, 
made  from  flexible  native-tanned  skins,  are  now 
entirely  out  of  use. 

Caribou-skin  products  are  prepared  by  the 
Chipewyans  as  follows  : 

Babiche. — Long  lengths  of  tough  leather  lace, 
or  thong,  made  from  raw  hide.  Process  of  pre- 
paration :  hair  scraped  from  skin ;  skin  dried ; 
then  skin  soaked  till  soft,  and  cut  into  long  strips 
by  circular  cutting.  Skin  in  nowise  prepared  by 
the  lengthy  process  required  when  dressing  skins 
for  moccasins,  etc. 

Skins  dressed  as  Soft  Leather. — Lengthy  process 
requiring,  chiefly,  industrious  hand-working. 
Skins  soaked,  and  dried  in  the  open  air,  and  worked 
with  hands  ;  process  repeated  many  times,  each 
time  becoming  more  soft  and  more  white.  When 
lying  out,  the  clear,  fresh  air  purifies  the  skins, 
as  in  ordinary  bleaching.  Skins  finally  soaked 
and  rubbed  in  a  solution  of  Caribou-brain  (in 
the  absence  of  brain  ordinary  soap  is  used)  : 
brain  contains  grease,  which  has  the  essential 
softening  quality.  The  skins,  when  finished,  are 
very  soft  and  flexible  like  Chamois  leather,  and  are, 
particularly  if  they  be  fawn  skins,  often  pure  white. 

Dressed  Fur  Skins. — Hide  dried  first  by  stretch- 
ing on  the  circular  inside  of  teepee — thus  drying 
by  the  heat  of  the  fire  alight  on  the  ground  in 
the  centre  of  the  interior ;  skin  then  rubbed  with 
brain  (or  soap)  and  worked  clean  of  all  flesh,  fat, 


140         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

etc.  ;  a  little  water  is  applied  during  process  of 
rubbing,  but  skin  never  allowed  to  become  very 
moist.  Inside  skin  soft  and  flexible  when  finished, 
and  the  outside  hairs,  untouched. 

Caribou-hide  is  best  (thickest)  in  spring,  and 
no  good  in  mid-winter  (being  then  thin).  The 
hair,  apparently,  feeds  on,  and  derives  nutriment 
from  the  skin,  for  when  the  hair  is  long  in  winter 
the  skin  is  thin,  and  in  the  spring  when  the  hair 
is  new  and  short,  the  skin  is  thick  and  at  its  best. 
Before  leaving  this  subject  I  will  endeavour  to 
tell  of  a  few  experiences  of  photographing  Caribou : 
experiences  that  were  not  very  successful,  because 
of  the  action  of  intense  cold  on  the  focal-plane 
shutter,  but  which  give  considerable  detail  of 
Caribou  habits  and  winter  hunting. 

It  was  with  old  Philip  Merasty,  a  halfbreed, 
and  Eaglefoot,  a  Chipewyan,  that  I  made  my 
most  determined  attempt  to  photograph  Caribou ; 
and  the  last  attempt  I  made,  since  cold  and 
unsuitable  apparatus  completely  baulked  me  from 
further  effort. 

Philip,  without  knowing  it,  was,  like  many 
an  Indian,  an  unread  wilderness  naturalist.  The 
clouds,  the  water,  the  fish,  the  land — the  forests, 
the  birds,  the  animals — all  in  his  country  he  had 
studied  for  a  lifetime,  and,  at  ripe  old  age,  he 
was  full  of  wisdom  of  the  wild.  He  had  watched 
me  skin  and  label  specimens,  watched  my  manoeu- 
vres to  take  wild-life  photographs,  watched  my 
making  pencil  sketches ;  and  in  time  had  proved 
himself  a  staunch  confederate  in  assisting  my 
researches. 

Eaglefoot,  perhaps,  had  equal  knowledge,  but 


START  FOR  CARIBOU   GROUND  141 

he.  was  silent,  almost,  as  the  snow.  Half  a  dozen 
words  with  Philip  in  the  morning  would  decide  a 
day's  plans,  and  half  a  dozen  sentences  over  the 
camp-fire  at  night  record  all  the  day  had  accom- 
plished. But  he  was  a  splendid  hunter  and 
traveller,  and  a  hard  worker  if  there  was  work 
to  do. 

Neither  of  those  Indians  had  ever  seen  a 
camera  before  they  saw  this  one  of  mine,  and  to 
allow  them  to  look  through  the  view-finder  or 
focusing  screen  afforded  them  great  astonishment 
and  delight,  when  they  beheld  the  miniature 
pictures  in  the  glass.  It  seemed  to  them  witch- 
craft. They  expressed  the  same  excited  astonish- 
ment in  looking  through  field-glasses. 

With  those  two  Indians,  and  food,  sleeping 
bags,  and  two  dog-trains,  we  one  day  set  out 
from  my  cabin  to  travel  and  camp  on  Caribou 
ground.  And  the  days  that  followed  I  here 
record  from  the  simple  pages  of  my  diary — written 
at  the  glowing  log-fire  o'  nights,  where  comfort 
was  before  one,  and  cruel,  hungry  cold  a  yard 
beyond  the  camp  circle.  .  .  . 

Philip  and  Eaglefoot  outside  my  cabin  at 
daylight  (8  o'clock).  I  joined  them  in  a  moment, 
and  we  sped  merrily  away  in  a  northerly  direction 
over  well-packed  lake  surface  :  the  dogs  fresh, 
and  the  sled-bells  tinkling  cheerfully. 

Soon  after  starting  Philip  looked  gravely  into 
the  even-toned,  grey  sky  and  prophesied  that 
wind  would  rise,  while  to  me  the  sky  in  that  phase 
was  unreadable.  In  a  few  hours  wind  did  rise — 
keen  north  wind. 

On  the  trail  outward  Philip  looked  at  his  trap- 
11 


142          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

line ;  traps  set  for  Fox,  Marten,  and  Mink,  but 
none  contained  quarry.  I  came  on  a  few  Spruce 
Grouse,  while  halted,  and  while  Philip  was 
examining  a  Fox  set,  I,  to  Eaglefoot's  astonish- 
ment, shot  one  with  my  catapult.  He  had 
never  seen  my  "  noiseless  gun "  before,  and 
picked  up  the  dead  bird  to  examine  it  and 
reassure  himself  that  I  really  had  struck  it  to 
death. 

Proceeding  we  travelled  north  up  a  long  inlet 
bay  to  the  north-east  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  thence 
over  one  long  portage,  and  then  through  four 
small  lakes  and  on  to  a  big  irregularly  shaped 
lake  named  Sand  Lake. 

At  first  fire  the  sled-bells  were  removed  from 
the  dog-harness,  for  they  are  never  used  when 
serious  hunting  begins ;  obviously  because  of 
the  sound. 

Soon  after  first  fire  (three  hours  out — the  first 
rest  for  dogs,  and  fire  for  a  drink  of  hot  tea),  on 
entering  Sand  Lake,  twelve  Caribou  were  sighted, 
but  they  were,  a  moment  later,  disturbed  by  an 
Indian,  who  appeared  ahead  and  gave  chase. 
Before  long,  however,  they  doubled  back  towards 
our  party,  and  Philip  shot  once  without  effect. 
When  nearing  the  end  of  the  north  bay  of  this 
lake,  about  forty  Caribou  were  sighted.  At  once 
the  dogs  were  run  into  forest  ambush,  and  we 
waited  in  hiding  for  the  oncoming  animals.  Ulti- 
mately I  succeeded  in  making  four  exposures 
of  a  few  of  those  Caribou,  -but  the  main  herd  went 
away  north-east.  When  there  was  no  longer 
prospect  of  obtaining  further  photographs  of 
this  lot,  Philip  and  Eaglefoot  fired  on  them  at 


DECOYING   CARIBOU  143 

long  range,  but  neither  brought  any  down.  A 
little  later  a  young  buck,  which  had  become 
separated  from  the  main  herd,  came  back  past 
us,  and  this  I  shot  for  the  night's  dog-feed. 

At  the  narrows  between  Sand  Lake  and  the 
nameless  lake  beyond  it,  Philip  and  Eaglefoot 
chose  a  base  camp,  and  the  sleds  were  run  into 
cover  on  a  well-timbered  low  point  of  land.  We 
were  in  good  Caribou  country,  and  it  was  intended 
to  spend  some  time  here  and  prepare  unobtru- 
sively to  influence  the  direction  of  Caribou  travel, 
so  that  they  might  come  to  pass  before  the 
camera. 

Our  procedure  was  this :  to  cut  from  the 
forest  on  the  shores  armfuls  of  spruce  boughs  and 
lay  them,  at  widely  spaced  intervals,  on  the  white 
lake  surface  of  the  upper  lake  to  form  a  thin 
boundary  line.  This  fence  was  laid  after  the 
tracks  on  the  forested  shores  had  been  examined, 
and  the  wind  considered,  and  Philip  and  Eagle- 
foot  had  decided  that  Caribou  would  possibly 
come  from  the  west  on  the  morrow.  Where 
Caribou  were  expected  to  come  on  to  the  lake  from 
the  forest  a  few  boughs  were  placed  very  close 
to  shore,  so  that  when  our  quarry  stepped  on  to 
the  lake  the  strange  objects  would  not  be  observed 
until  the  animals  looked  back  or  tried  to  return 
by  the  path  they  had  come.  As  will  be  seen 
shortly,  Caribou  will  not  pass  near  any  suspicious- 
looking  object.  Along  both  shores  the  fence  was 
carried  out,  making  short  cuts  across  the  bays  ; 
and  after  the  shores  were  laid  the  slim  enclosure 
was  completed  by  running  a  line  of  boughs  from 
shore  to  shore  across  the  centre  of  the  lake. 


144          THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

There  then  remained  open,  to  any  animal  that 
might  enter  the  enclosure,  only  the  narrows 
leading  into  Sand  Lake,  where  I  and  the  camera 
would  be  hidden. 

It  was  night  when  we  had  finished  and  returned 
to  camp.  Camp  was  made  snug  against  the 
keen  wind  and  bitter  frost  by  building  the  usual 
barricade  of  spruce  boughs  and  snow  in  a  half- 
circle,  backing  the  wind;  and  within  the  circle, 
just  beyond  the  length  of  an  outstretched  man, 
a  great  log-fire  was  built  to  blaze  merrily  (and  to 
die  out  long  after  the  fur-blanketed  forms  had 
gone  to  sleep).  All  the  ten  sled-dogs  were  tied 
up  this  night — an  unusual  proceeding — to  keep 
them  from  wandering  to  the  traps  on  Philip's 
line,  and  from  chasing  any  Caribou  that  they 
might  scent  in  the  night.  They  were  then  given 
the  whole  of  the  Caribou  that  had  been  killed, 
and  twenty  fish — a  repast  intended  to  keep  them 
drowsily  contented  and  quiet  on  the  morrow. 

The  following  morning  we  were  moving  about 
camp  before  daylight,  preparing  in  earnest  for 
deer-stalking.  Any  of  the  dogs  that  showed 
inclination  to  howl  or  whimper  was  securely 
muzzled  with  rope  :  the  morning  fire  burned  low  : 
the  ordinary  quiet  voices  of  the  Indians  sank 
to  hushed  whisperings — those  precautions  even 
although  our  camp  was  well  back  from  the  shore 
and  in  the  shelter  of  forest  where  there  was  but 
slight  likelihood  of  smoke  or  sound  reaching  the 
senses  of  any  animals  that  might  approach. 

A  hide  for  the  camera  and  myself  was  built  of 
spruce  boughs  on  the  outskirts  of  the  point  of 
land,  and  commanding  the  lake  at  the  entrance 


PHOTOGRAPHING   CARIBOU  145 

to  the  narrows  where  the  Caribou  were  expected 
to  pass.  The  hide  was  built  as  small  and  insigni- 
ficant as  possible,  and  the  outside — that  which 
might  be  apparent  from  the  lake — was  sprayed 
with  snow  until  it  resembled  the  natural  sur- 
roundings. The  first  two  hours  of  daylight 
passed  uneventfully,  and  it  was  not  until  about 
10  a.m.  that  two  Caribou  were  sighted.  These 
animals  came  on  to  the  ice  south  of  the  narrows 
— they  had  come  off  the  shore  past  the  camera 
— but  the  cunning  Indians  had  foreseen  the 
possibility  of  this,  and  a  few  spruce  boughs 
barred  the  narrows,  some  distance  beyond  my 
outlook.  At  this  fence  the  two  Caribou  were 
turned,  and  after  a  long  wait  they  began  to  ap- 
proach the  hide.  Of  the  leading  buck  I  obtained 
one  good  exposure,  and  though  slight  was  the 
click  of  the  release  the  animal  heard  it,  and 
swung  round  as  if  he  had  been  shot  at :  there 
he  paused  for  a  second,  proud  head  up  and  great 
eyes  alarmed,  while  I  remained  motionless  ;  but 
in  a  moment  more  he  turned  and  retraced  his 
steps,  smelling  the  ground  suspiciously,  while  his 
companion  followed. 

After  this  there  was  a  long  period  of  patient 
waiting — not  an  easy  matter  in  the  numbing 
cold — and  it  was  noon  when  the  next  Caribou 
were  seen.  It  was  then  that  a  small  herd  of  a 
dozen  came  on  to  the  lake,  and  within  the  en- 
closure, from  the  west  shore.  They  were  very 
nervous,  probably  because  of  the  "  fence,"  and 
they  made  one  or  two  short  rushes  as  if  they 
meant  to  risk  galloping  through  the  barrier  that 
lay  across  the  lake — only  to  come  to  a  halt  in  the 


146         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

end,  and  to  look  about  wonderingly.  The  wind 
was  from  the  north,  hence  their  inclination  was 
to  get  beyond  the  fence  across  the  lake,  but  each 
time  they  "  funked  "  crossing  between  those  harm- 
less bits  of  spruce.  Twice  the  buck  that  was  the 
leader  came  half  the  distance  forward  to  the 
narrows  only  to  turn  back  again  to  the  north- 
west, and  mingle  with  the  others  in  frightened 
bewilderment.  Finally  the  buck  made  up  his 
mind,  and  came  for  the  narrows  at  a  long-reach- 
ing trot,  neck  outstretched,  head  up  and  horns 
lying  back  over  the  shoulders.  Without  a  halt 
he  came  right  on,  and  I  allowed  him  to  pass  un- 
molested— he  was  well  ahead  of  the  others — 
then  made  some  exposures  of  the  following  line 
of  does  and  fawns  that  filed  past  the  hide.  They 
were  fine  fat  deer,  Philip  decided,  after  they 
were  past — he  had,  in  his  keenness,  come  quietly 
beside  me  to  watch  also — and  he  ran  back  to 
camp  for  my  rifle  to  shoot  at  them,  but  luckily 
they  were  gone  ere  he  returned  and  he  couldn't 
spoil,  by  the  noise  of  shooting,  what  chance 
there  might  be  of  other  animals  approaching. 
However,  it  was  then  getting  late,  and  the  light 
was  failing,  and  we  were  on  the  point  of  leaving  off 
for  the  day,  when  Philip,  who  had  been  moving 
around  the  shore  a  little  way,  came  to  tell  me 
that  a  single  fawn  was  approaching.  This 
animal  walked  all  along  the  fence,  smelling  the 
ground  where  the  others  had  previously  passed, 
and  uncertain  where  to  go.  Finally  it  got  on  the 
fresh  track  leading  to  the  narrows  and  came 
ahead  quickly.  As  the  animal  passed  I  made 
two  exposures,  though  the  light  was  by  then  very 


CAMERA  FAILS   TO   WORK  147 

poor.  A  little  beyond  me  Eaglefoot  dropped  the 
poor  brute,  for  food  was  wanted  for  the  dogs ; 
but  one  felt  one  would  have  been  glad  if  it  could 
have  run  on,  and  found  the  herd  it  had  strayed 
from.  It  paid  the  full  penalty  for  loitering 
behind. 

It  was  now  3  p.m.  and  too  dark  for  further 
camera  work.  It  had  been  snowing  lightly  all 
day,  and  the  light  was  not  very  good  for  making 
rapid  exposures.  However,  what  was  really 
worrying  me  was  the  action  of  the  intense  frost 
on  the  focal-plane  shutter.  Twice  it  had  abso- 
lutely stuck  in  the  middle  of  an  exposure,  and 
twice,  also,  it  had  refused  to  act  at  all  when 
beautiful  Caribou  pictures  were  possible.  I 
was  beginning  to  fear  the  shutter  was  going  to 
spoil  everything,  and  that  I  wanted  a  very  simple 
instrument  to  replace  this  complicated  mechanism, 
to  which  tiny  frost  particles  clung  and  jammed 
the  finer  workings.  Over  the  evening  camp-fire 
I  spent  an  hour  trying  to  prevent  any  recurrence 
of  a  hitch  in  the  shutter- workings.  Before  the 
heat  of  the  fire  it  worked  perfectly,  and  I  laid 
it  aside  in  the  end  with  renewed  hopes  for  the 
morrow. 

The  early  hours  of  night  were  employed 
cutting  wood,  feeding  the  sled-dogs,  and  cooking 
a  large  meal  of  Caribou  meat.  Then  we  lay  for 
an  hour  or  two  before  turning  in,  the  meditative 
Indians  smoking,  and  from  time  to  time  piling 
fresh  logs  on  the  huge  fire.  Over  the  fire,  in  the 
upper  flames,  hung  the  ghost-like,  blackened 
head  of  a  Caribou,  spiked  on  to  a  long  green  staff 
that  was  stuck  back  in  the  snow  to  hold  the  head 


148          THE  BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

up  in  position — and  this  was  the  manner  of  roast- 
ing our  final  tit-bit  before  going  to  sleep  for  the 
night.  They  are  glorious,  those  night  fires  of  a 
winter  camp,  not  only  warmth  and  light,  but 
cheerful  withal — the  home-fire  of  the  trail,  where 
there  is  real  content  in  the  mind  of  the  wayfarer 
as  he  watches  the  flames  that  incessantly  shoot 
upward  in  bright  spiral  lines  to  wriggle  like 
snakes  into  space  or  snap  into  tiny  floating  sparks 
which  die  out  in  the  blackness  and  chillness  of 
the  surrounding  night. 

It  snowed  heavily  overnight,  and  we  awoke 
in  the  morning  to  thrust  our  heads  through  the 
foot  of  snow  that  covered  us  in  our  sleeping 
bags  :  the  thermometer  had  dropped  also  over- 
night ;  and  altogether  it  was  in  no  way  pleasant 
in  camp  before  we  got  a  roaring  fire  kindled. 
Fire  and  tea  and  breakfast  soon  warmed  us  up ; 
and  about  daylight  the  sky  cleared,  and  the  snow, 
while  a  strong  biting  north  wind  sprung  up. 

At  breakfast  I  amused  and  interested  Philip 
in  telling  him  of  a  strange  dream  I  had  had  in  the 
night.  It  was  this  :  He  (Philip)  was  driving  his 
dog-team  in  a  strange  foreign  country,  when, 
while  he  stopped  to  shoot  at  something,  his 
dogs  ran  away  with  the  driverless  sled,  and  it  was 
finally  seen  careering  through  the  streets  of  a 
great  city.  At  this  time,  by  arrangement  of 
the  strange  freak  settings  with  which  dreams  are 
embodied,  Eaglefoot  and  I  were  coming  along  a 
side  street  in  the  same  strange  city  when  we  saw 
Philip's  dog-team  tearing  past  on  the  main 
street  like  animals  possessed.  Both  of  us  gave 
chase.  At  a  corner,  where  the  sled  slewed 


A   STRANGE   DREAM  149 

awkwardly,  some  bales  and  blankets  were  thrown 
out,    and   with   those   the   exhausted   Eaglefoot 
remained  while  I  careered  on.    Finally  I  caught 
the  dogs,  but  when  I  came  to  drive  them  they 
would  not  go.     The  difficulty — in  the  dream — 
seemed  to  be  all  because  I  could  not  recall  the 
name  of  Philip's  lead-dog.     Think  as  I  might 
I   could   not   recall   it.     Meantime   crowds   had 
collected  who  had  never  seen  a  sled    and  dog- 
train  before.     They  were  strange,  tall,  delicate 
people  who  spoke  no  words  I  could  understand. 
In  the  end  I  led  the  dogs  back  to  where  Eagle- 
foot  waited,  and  was  again  loading  up  the  bales 
and  blankets  so  that  we  might  go  in  search  of 
Philip — when  I  awoke  .  .  .  and    my  first    con- 
scious  thought   was   intensely   concentrated   on 
Musquaw — the  name  of  Philip's  lead-dog.     The 
old  Indian  was  intensely  interested  in  this  yarn. 
In  many  ways  Indians  have  the  naive  receptive 
intellect  of  children. 

But,  to  return  to  the  work  of  the  day.  The 
drifting  snow  on  the  lake  had,  when  we  looked 
out  from  our  hide  after  breakfast,  partly  covered 
the  spruce  boughs  of  the  "  deer  fence,"  and  our 
first  task  was  to  travel  round  them  all,  lifting  them, 
shaking  them,  and  replacing  them.  After  this 
we  had  a  very  long  wait  before  any  Caribou 
came,  probably  because  our  movements  around 
the  "  fence  "  had  frightened  any  that  chanced 
to  be  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  at  the 
time.  However,  about  noon,  a  single  male 
Caribou  came  slowly  on  to  the  lake  from  the  forest 
on  the  west  shore,  and  then,  apparently  surprised, 
stood  long,  watchfully  alert.  Philip,  who  was 


150         THE   BARREN-GROUND   CARIBOU 

with  me  at  the  camera,  remarked  in  a  whisper, 
44  Him  not  alone,  that's  why  he  wait,"  and  sure 
enough  a  little  later  a  doe  and  fawn  followed  out 
of  the  forest,  whereupon  the  buck  lay  down  to 
rest  on  the  lake  surface.  But  when  the  others 
joined  him  they  walked  around  uncertainly,  not 
seeming  to  find  the  resting  place  comfortable, 
and  so,  in  a  little  time,  the  buck  rose  and  led  on 
across  the  lake  to  the  east  shore,  where  all  lay 
down  in  content.  They  were  now,  however,  too 
comfortable  for  my  liking,  for  after  more  than 
an  hour's  wait  at  the  camera  hide,  the  animals 
still  showed  no  inclination  to  move.  At  last  it 
was  decided  that  Philip  should  make  a  wide 
detour  through  the  timber  on  the  east  shore  with 
a  view  to  getting  beyond  the  Caribou,  and  disturb 
and  drive  them  toward  the  narrows.  When 
Philip  got  round  into  position  (he  afterwards 
gave  me  the  details  of  his  movements)  he  snapped 
a  small  dry  twig.  Instantly  the  buck's  head, 
which  had  been  resting  turned  in  toward  the 
body,  flashed  sharply  upright,  and  he  looked 
steadfastly  in  the  direction  from  whence  the 
sound  had  emanated.  Again  Philip  snapped  a 
twig,  and  at  this  the  buck  rose  and  faced  the 
sound,  then  fully  satisfied  that  danger  lurked  in 
the  wood  he  half-turned  and  commenced  to  trot 
in  my  direction.  Soon  the  others  rose  also  and 
followed,  but  not  before  the  buck  was  well  away 
in  the  lead. 

The  buck  passed  very  close  to  the  camera,  and 
I  repeatedly  tried  to  make  exposures,  but,  alas ! 
the  shutter  was  frosted  and  refused  to  work. 
Then  followed  the  doe  and  fawn,  and  renewed 


COLD   SPOILS   CAMERA  WORK  151 

heartbreaking  failure  on  the  part  of  the  camera, 
while  the  unalarmed  animals  even  approached 
the  hide  to  investigate  the  click  of  the  shutter 
release,  a  sound  which  was  apparently  curious  to 
them. 

This  was  the  end  of  patience.  What  use  to 
continue  ?  It  needed  no  further  trial  to  teach 
me  that  my  focal  plane  shutter  was  useless  in  the 
intense  cold.  For  the  time  I  must  give  up.  If  I 
lived  to  return  in  other  years  I  would  know  what 
to  bring  to  overcome  the  cold. 

So  the  dogs  were  harnessed  into  their  traces, 
and  we  prepared  to  leave  for  Reindeer  Lake. 
But  before  vacating  camp  the  wily  Philip  set 
two  traps — one  for  Marten  at  the  foot  of  a  tree, 
and  one  for  Fox  at  the  remains  of  a  Caribou 
carcass.  The  observant  old  native  had  seen 
Marten  tracks  on  the  snow  near  camp,  and  he 
told  me  "  he  come  seek  about  camp  after  we  go, 
that's  their  way." 

About  3.30,  when  dusk  was  falling,  we  led  the 
dogs  from  the  forest  to  the  lake  and,  muffled  in 
our  robes,  started  grimly  homeward  over  wither- 
ing snowfields.  No  one  spoke — it  was  too  cold 
— and  the  dogs  laboured  on  unguided,  knowing 
the  home  trail,  while  their  deep  breathing  blew 
back  and  froze  whitely  to  their  shaggy  coats. 

Caribou  and  Caribou  pictures  were  soon  for- 
gotten ;  indeed,  every  ambition  seemed  trifling 
— everything  except  the  awful  cold  and  the 
boundless,  ice-locked  land. 


CHAPTER    VII 

SLED-DOGS    OF   THE    NORTH    TRAILS 

WITHOUT  sled-dogs  there  could  be  no  winter 
travel  over  the  great  territories  of  the  Far  Cana- 
dian North,  and  consequently  little  or  no  fur 
trade.  Possibly  you  have  never  had  occasion 
to  think  of  such  a  modern  thing  as  commerce 
in  connection  with  those  great  snow-bound  wilder- 
nesses that  lie  beyond  the  white  man's  country  : 
possibly  it  never  occurred  to  you  that  the  winter 
life  of  Indian  and  Eskimo  could  concern  you  in 
any  way  at  all.  Yet,  since  to  them  do  we  owe 
thanks  for  great  stores  of  fur  pelts,  they  touch 
on  our  lives  in  an  indirect  way  even  as  far  "  back 
home  "  as  London,  Paris,  New  York,  and  in  all 
cities ;  though  few  people  who  buy  rich  furs 
over  city  shop  counters  picture  the  drear  sur- 
roundings in  which  fur-bearing  animals  are 
captured — interminable  wastes  of  snow ;  intense 
cold,  even  blizzard ;  and  lone  men  with  patient 
wolf-dogs  battling  against  bitter,  merciless  Arctic 
winter.  Perhaps  only  Vikings  of  the  ancient 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  others  of  the  like 
who  have  traded  in  fur  for  half  a  century,  really 
know  how  much  is  yearly  harvested  by  the  aid 
of  the  sled-dog.  Just  as  civilisation  cannot 
to-day  do  without  railways,  so  the  Far  North 

152 


SLED-DOG  POPULATION  153 

cannot  subsist  in  winter  without  dog-trains ; 
dogs  which  are  the  means  of  gathering  from 
great  distances,  and  long  trap-lines,  the  choicest 
furs  for  the  markets  of  civilisation ;  and  that 
gather  also  the  fuel-wood  and  winter  food  that 
keep  alive  the  dusky-hued  races  that  hunt  through 
the  dark  months  of  the  year  for  treasures  that 
are  coveted  by  cultured  people. 

Let  a  stranger  enter  the  North  ;  let  him  come  to 
a  far-out  fur  Post,  and  he  will  be  wonderstruck 
at  the  canine  population ;  for  if  a  Post  contain 
ten  hunting  Indians  it  is  highly  probable  that 
the  whole  foreground  will  be  dominated  by  some 
120  to  150  sled-dogs.  The  proportion  of  man 
to  dog  is  usually  on  such  an  astonishing  scale. 

It  is  certain  that  the  stranger  will  wonder  to 
see  such  numbers  of  those  uncommon  beasts  of 
burden,  and  possibly  he  will  be  somewhat  sur- 
prised that  the  natives  of  the  Far  North  so  ex- 
tensively rear  dogs  for  utility,  with  much  of  the 
same  purpose  as  his  own  people  would  rear 
horses  in  the  civilised  South. 

And  he  cannot  but  remark  the  striking 
presence,  and  stalwart  wolf-build  of  those  dogs : 
some  half- wild,  disdainful,  powerful;  beautifully 
proportioned,  beautifully  coated ;  others  less 
handsome  cross- strains,  rough- coated,  unevenly 
coloured,  but  brim-full  of  courage  and  strong  to 
endure. 

To  find  the  true  type  of  sled-dogs,  or  wolf- 
dogs,  or  huskies,  or  malamoots — call  them  what 
you  will  out  of  those  names  of  the  country — 
one  must  come  to  the  far-out  fur  Posts  ;  for  good 
dogs,  like  good  Indians,  lie  nowadays  beyond  the 


164       SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

outposts  of  the  white  settler.  That  the  finest 
dogs  are  in  the  Far  North  is  perhaps  due  to  their 
untrammelled  surroundings,  and  to  the  nature 
of  their  feeding,  for,  on  the  fringes  of  the  Frontier, 
fish,  the  chief  dog-food,  is  often  scarce,  and  in 
demand  for  human  food,  whereas  in  the  Far 
North  fish  are  plentiful  and  little  sought  in  the 
clear  waters  of  the  countless  lakes  and  rivers  that 
abound  in  those  distant  places.  Moreover  in 
Frontier  settlements,  and  such  Posts  where 
white  and  halfbreed  and  Indian  intermingle, 
and  are  unsettled  by  more  modern  enterprises 
than  the  old-world,  patient,  plodding  fur  trade, 
the  sled-dogs  are  often  outcast  when  their 
winter's  work  is  done,  and  remain  through 
summer  no  man's  care,  little  better  than  thieving 
curs,  kicked  and  abused  by  everyone. 

If  you  are  travelling  north,  particularly  in 
summer,  it  is  sure  to  be  your  misfortune  on  the 
early  outward  trail  to  run  foul  of  those  thieving 
fellows,  who  instil  in  you  a  firm  distrust  of  every 
sled-dog  in  existence  long  before  you  have 
cleared  their  unhealthy  habitat.  All  sled- dogs 
steal — even  the  best  of  them — but  the  untended 
outcasts  of  the  Posts  near  the  edge  of  civilisa- 
tion are  particular  vagabonds.  My  most  memor- 
able losses  by  dog-thieves — memorable  because 
they  seriously  shortened  my  carefully  calculated 
food-store  on  a  long  outward  canoe  journey 
between  two  posts — was  the  loss  of  a  shoulder  of 
dried  moose  meat,  stolen  from  over  my  head  at 
night,  and  a  week's  baking  of  "  bannock " 
(sour-dough  bread)  plundered  a  few  days  later 
from  a  grub  box  in  camp  during  a  heavy  storm. 


CUNNING   OF   SLED-DOGS  155 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  an  outcast  dog,  or 
a  lost  dog,  living  along  the  shores  of  lake  or  river 
like  a  totally  wild  animal.  Living  thus  they 
gather  oddments  of  food  from  the  water's  edge, 
besides  what  live  prey  they  catch,  such  odd- 
ments as  dead  fish  that  are  washed  ashore,  or 
carcass  of  duck  or  gull ;  sometimes  too  they 
chance  on  a  nest  of  eggs,  while  if  there  are  berries 
ripening  in  the  woods  they  will  even  devour  those 
in  their  hunger.  It  is  under  such  circumstances 
that  one  may  observe  the  full  reawakened  wild- 
natured  cunning  of  those  brutes,  for  their  sense 
of  smell  when  roaming  thus  becomes  keen  and 
suspicious  as  a  wolf's,  and  they  will  examine 
any  particle  of  food  with  great  care  before 
daring  to  touch  it,  as  if  they  feared  poison  or  a 
trap  with  all  the  dread  of  a  once  caught,  once 
escaped,  wild  thing.  If  you  want  further  proof 
of  how  close  they  are  to  their  wild  forefathers, 
watch  them  at  dusk,  cunning  as  wolf  or  fox,  and 
as  naturally  stealing  through  the  pine  woods 
over  dry,  moss-grown  knolls,  eyes  and  ears  and 
nose  alert,  treading  stealthily  with  head  forward 
and  tail  straight,  ready  instantly  to  pounce  on 
spruce-grouse  or  rabbit  or  any  living  thing  the 
high-strung  senses  may  detect. 

There  is  one  thing  in  the  way  of  food  that,  as 
far  as  I  know,  a  sled- dog  will  not  touch,  and  that 
is  mice.  I've  seen  dead  mice  lying  outside 
cabins  for  days  untouched,  where  ravenous  sled- 
dogs  existed.  This  is  peculiar,  because  some 
domestic  dogs  will  eat  mice,  though  it  is  true 
they  are  often  sick  after  doing  so. 

I  have  said  that  all  sled-dogs  will  steal.     I'm 


156       SLED-DOGS   OF  THE   NORTH  TRAILS 

afraid  that  is  true,  and  I  cannot  revoke  even 
such  sweeping  judgment,  but  what  I  like  about 
the  dogs  in  the  Far  North  is  that  they  have  the 
grace  to  acknowledge  themselves  rascals,  for  they 
stand  aloof  from  mankind,  half- wild,  half- afraid, 
making  no  overtures  or  pretences  of  friendship 
—  and  they  steal  whenever  they  can.  On  the 
other  hand,  poor-caste  mongrels  of  the  Frontier 
may  sidle  up  to  you  in  friendly  fashion,  and  you, 
in  good  humour,  may  treat  them  kindly — then 
turn  your  back,  and  they  sneak  into  your  tent 
and  plunder  whatever  is  at  hand.  This  sort  of 
thing  can  be  very  annoying,  and  the  only  thing 
to  do  is  to  steel  one's  feelings  against  all  and 
treat  them  as  rogues — every  one. 

I  will  leave  now  the  sled-dogs  of  the  Frontier 
and  deal  entirely  with  the  more  pure,  more 
attractive  types  of  those  that  are  common  to  the 
borders  of  the  Arctic.  Perhaps  some  of  the 
finest  dogs  I  have  seen  were  at  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
at  the  north  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  where  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  have  stretched  a  tendril 
through  inland  wilderness  almost  to  the  line  of 
the  Eskimo  country,  and  there  established  a 
Trading  Post  for  Chipewyan  Indians  and  those 
said  Eskimos,  so  that  they  be  induced  to  bring  out 
the  fur  of  a  large  inland  area  of  the  Barren-grounds 
and  lay  it  on  the  rude  baiter  counter  of  the  Fur 
Traders'  Store  and  purchase  in  exchange  such 
luxuries  as  flour,  and  tobacco,  and  tea,  and 
ammunition,  and  beads,  and  coloured  cloths, 
and  all  such  sort  of  things  as  are  eagerly  sought 
by  simple,  primitive  natives.  Once  a  year  a 
small  band  of  Eskimos  travel  south  with  fur- 


/ 


HUSKY  DOG. 
A  fine  train-leader,  wonderfully  intelligent,  one  of  the  finest  dogs  I  ever  encountered. 


15C] 


PURE   HUSKY   FEMALE. 
General  colour,  wolf-grey ;    eyes,  brown ;  tip  of  tail,  white. 


DOGS  OF  FORT  DU  BROCKET     157 

loaded  sleds  to  Fort  Du  Brochet.  Thereafter 
they  are  neither  seen  nor  heard  of  until  another 
year  comes  round.  They  bring  with  them  pelts 
of  White  Wolves,  Arctic  Foxes,  Bears,  Wolverine, 
and  a  few  Musk-ox  skins — the  last-named  animals 
believed  to  be  rare  nowadays,  but  perhaps  not 
so  rare  as  it  is  written  down  to  be  for  it  inhabits, 
in  most  cases,  country  almost  totally  unknown 
to  white  men,  and  unapproachable.  Sometimes 
the  Eskimos  bring  a  few  Mink  skins  in  their 
packs,  but  never  Marten,  which  are  indigenous 
to  forested  country. 

But  to  return  to  the  subject  of  sled-dogs ; 
there  are  eight  cabins  at  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
including  the  fur-traders',  and  the  inhabitants  of 
those  owned  twenty-two  trains  of  sled-dogs : 
that  is  to  say,  110  adult  dogs,  while  a  conserva- 
tive estimate  of  pups — three  to  six  months  old — 
would  add  some  forty  head  to  the  total  dog 
population  of  the  Post.  Remember  that  only 
records  the  number  of  dogs  within  that  tiny 
settlement,  for  beyond,  on  lone  lake  and  river, 
at  the  isolated  cabins  of  the  nomad  Chipewyans 
of  the  territory,  were  the  dog-trains  of  each 
hunting  Indian — perhaps  three  hundred  to  four 
hundred  dogs  in  all  in  that  district,  if  one  might 
guess  albroadry  approximate  estimate. 

And  there  are  times,  if  one  camps  at  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  when  one  is  very  forcibly  reminded  that 
there  is  a  mighty  congregation  of  dogs  there,  for, 
on  certain  nights,  without  visible  cause,  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  whole  dog  tribe  to  simultaneously 
point  their  muzzles  to  the  moon,  and  in  one 
voluble,  blood-curdling  choius  to  break  in  on 
12 


158    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

the  unbounded  silence  of  the  northern  night 
with  their  wolf-like,  melancholy  dirge — long- 
drawn-out  bowlings,  one wow  .  .  . 

wow.  .  .  wow.  .  .  oue Abruptly 

as  the  dogs  commence,  so  is  the  wild  call  hushed, 
after  giving  but  a  minute's  utterance  to  the  wild 
sad  spirit  that  has  been  handed  down  to  them  by 
nameless  forefathers  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion. Particularly  on  stormy  nights  do  those 
strange  animals  show  restlessness  and  their  desire 
to  voice  their  wolf-howl  to  the  whole  world. 

They  howl  also  in  this  same  deep,  melancholy 
way  when  a  permanent  camp  is  broken  up  and 
their  masters  embark  in  canoes  for  fresh  hunting- 
grounds.  Then  they  will  sit  and  howl  their  very 
souls  out  before  they  bid  good-bye  to  their  old 
haunts  and  follow  the  canoes  along  shore.  It 
may  be  that  they  howl  in  dread  of  the  unknown 
journey  before  them,  or  with  wish  to  send  their 
dog-message  of  departure  through  shadowy 
forest  that  holds  the  secrets  of  many  wanderings 
and  of  many  wild  things.  Be  that  as  it  may,  in 
due  course  they  depart,  and  commence  the  hard 
task  of  following  the  canoes,  for  to  keep  in  touch 
they  must  at  times  swim  from  point  to  point  of 
deep  bays,  and  cross  wide  rivers,  and  in  a  day 
fall  far  behind  in  surmounting  the  difficulties 
in  their  path.  At  night  they  may  overtake  their 
masters.  But  only  the  robust  and  hardy  dogs 
get  through  with  the  canoes,  for  the  weaklings 
fall  out  and  are  lost,  and  may  only  reach  camp 
in  a  starved  condition  a  week  or  two  after  the 
others  if  they  have  been  persistent  and  intelli- 
gent in  following  the  trail  of  their  fellows. 


EXPECTANT,   EVER-HUNGRY  DOGS. 
Harvesting  fish  for  the  winter  in  the  late  Fall. 


I 
158] 


DOGS   INTERESTED   IN   THE   MORNING  CATCH   OF   FISH. 


DOGS   WATCH   CANOES   RETURN          159 

It  will  have  been  gathered  that  all  sled-dogs 
are  idlers  in  summer  ;  many  but  little  cared  for, 
since  the  caring  means  work ;  others  are  more 
fortunate  who  have  masters  who  consider  them 
their  property  summer  and  winter. 

Every  summer  day,  except  when  storms  of 
wind  prevent  them,  canoes  go  out  to  fishing- 
grounds  from  Fort  Du  Brochet  to  lift  their  gill- 
nets  and  bring  in  fish  for  human  food  and  dog- 
food.  And  every  day  the  keen  eyes  of  many 
eager  dogs  watch  from  the  shore-front  for  the 
return  of  the  canoes,  which  they  welcome  at  the 
water's  edge,  in  a  body — much  in  the  manner  that 
hand-fed  colts  cluster  to  their  grain-trough  at 
feeding  hour.  If  the  catch  allows  it,  each  dog 
gets  one  fish  per  day  in  summer — Whitefish, 
Jackfish  (Pike),  or  Trout,  weighing  2j  Ibs.  up- 
wards. Down  by  the  water's  edge,  when  a  canoe 
runs  ashore,  there  are  gathered  other  dogs  besides 
those  belonging  to  the  two  fishermen  at  the 
moment  landing.  Therefore,  when  they  are 
ready  to  feed  the  dogs,  one  Indian  steps  ashore 
armed  with  a  stout  stick  or  pole  and  stands  among 
them  to  preserve  order,  and  guard  against  the 
interlopers,  while  the  other  calls  the  name  of  a 
dog  in  deep  tones  as  he  tosses  a  fish  from  the 
canoe  into  the  air  toward  the  dog  he  has  selected, 
which  dog  adroitly  catches  the  fish  in  the  air, 
rounds  his  shoulders  protectingly  over  it,  and 
commences  to  tear  it  to  pieces  while  holding  it 
between  sharp-clawed  fore-paws.  Thus  the  fish 
are  distributed  to  the  rightful  dogs.  There  is 
seldom  any  mad  rush  ;  both  dogs  and  men  know 
their  business.  The  fish,  once  dealt  out,  are 


160     SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

devoured   in   ravenous,   hasty   gulps,    while   the 
strange  dogs  pounce  in  now  and  again  to  try  and 
steal  from  the  rightful  owners,  the  while  emit- 
ting   fierce     snarls     and     teeth-gnashings    with 
thought  to  overawe  the  one  assailed.     But  the 
Indians  watch  with  their  poles,  and  lay  about 
them  whenever  a  row  arises  ;    and  growls  and 
sounds  of  fierce  battle  are  immediately  succeeded 
by  the  sharp  yelp  of  a  beaten  dog — then  peace. 
Sometimes  a   dog  carries  his  fish  into  shallow 
water  away  from  the  others  and  tears  it  asunder 
with  head  under  water ;    finally  seeking  below 
the  surface  to  be  quite  assured  that  no  bits  have 
been  overlooked.     In  barely  a  minute  the  repast  is 
over,  so  powerful  are  the  wolf -jaws  of  those  animals, 
so  great  their  ravenous  haste  to  devour  their  prey. 
Everywhere  in  the  North  native  laws  of  man 
and  beast  are  stern,  even  merciless ;  the  outcome, 
perhaps,  of  living  half  the  year  face  to  face  with 
the  powerful  elements  of  winter,  eternally  fight- 
ing   for    an    existence   within   the   zone   of  the 
greatest  counterforces  of  life  to  be  met  with  in 
the  whole  wide  world.     Thus  it  appears,  at  first 
sight,  brutal  to  a  stranger  to  witness  the  Indians 
punish  their  dogs  on  the  slightest  provocation, 
and  it  is  brutal  in  a  delicate  sense,  but  not  so  in 
the  mind  of  Indian  or  dog,  for  both  are  of  a 
vigorous  outdoor  world,  and  of  primitive  hardi- 
hood.    Indians  have  full  experience  of  sled-dogs. 
They  are  masters  of  the  situation  ;    were  their 
dogs  allowed  to  run  unchecked  all  summer,  or  be 
humoured  by  pampering  kindness,  they  would 
be  useless  as  sled-dogs  when  the  snows  came. 
Hard  blows  teach  them  always  to  respect  the 


BREAKING   IN   SLED-DOGS  161 

power  of  man,  and  to  stand  back  at  a  respectful 
distance  and  in  due  humility. 

Regarding  dog  punishment,  I  have  only  once 
witnessed  a  squaw  severely  deal  with  one  of 
those  provoking  animals.  Her  men-folk  were 
away  hunting,  and  her  peculiar  method  was  to 
tie  the  culprit  to  an  alder  bush  and  belabour 
him  mercilessly  with  a  heavy  pole  until  one 
thought  that  if  she  did  not  cease  speedily  the  dog 
would  be  beaten  to  death.  He  had  stolen  some- 
thing, poor  hungry,  wolf-natured  brute — and  he 
would  steal  next  hour,  I  wager,  if  the  chance 
arose,  licking  or  no — only  with  a  little  more 
caution,  a  little  added  resolve  that  his  cunning 
would  outwit  his  masters. 

At  freeze-up  I  have  seen  young  dogs  that  have 
never  before  been  caught  and  harnessed  prove 
so  savage  when  handled  that  they  could  not  be 
put  in  the  traces  until  stunned  with  a  blow  on 
the  head.  For  two  or  three  days  such  dogs  are 
unmanageable,  but  in  the  end  they  become 
tractable  and  often  prove  splendid,  hard-working, 
high-spirited  beasts  of  burden. 

You  will  have  gathered  from  these  remarks 
that  the  sled-dog  is  for  ever  in  the  foreground 
at  the  Far  North  fur  Posts — numerous  beyond 
all  other  things — and  that  is  true  of  them. 

I  will  deal  in  detail  with  the  foods  on  which 
sled-dogs  are  fed,  and  then  take  you  to  the  sled 
and  the  snowfield  ;  that  which  is  their  purpose  of 
existence,  and  where  their  endurance  and  courage 
overcome  the  bleakest  wastes  in  all  God's  Universe. 
What  food  the  natives  subsist  on  is  also  the 
food  of  their  dogs.  The  year  round  the  native 


162    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

and  dog  community  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  and  of 
many  Far  North  Posts,  live  almost  exclusively 
on  fish  with  the  addition,  in  winter,  of  what 
deer-meat  the  Caribou  migrations  provide.  Raw 
fish,  fresh  from  the  water  in  summer,  or 
frozen  in  winter,  is  the  chief  dog-food  the  year 
round,  and  on  this  they  thrive.  And,  in  this 
respect,  it  is  certain  that  the  fish  on  which  the 
dogs  of  the  outermost  Posts  are  fed  has  played  an 
important  part  in  retaining,  perhaps  even  develop- 
ing, the  fine  physique  which  the  breed  obtain 
along  the  trails  of  the  Hinderland,  for  the  fish 
from  the  pure  cold  waters  of  northern  lakes  are 
of  surpassing  excellence.  The  dogs  themselves, 
when  occasion  occurs,  show  discriminating  taste, 
and  marked  preference  for  their  home  fish,  for, 
in  the  winter,  should  any  dog-team  go  south  to 
the  Posts  of  the  Frontier  it  is  noticeable  that 
while  being  fed  on  fish  from  inferior  waters  they 
will  eat  without  relish  and  with  an  air  of  distaste, 
and  deteriorate  in  weight  and  strength. 

Sled-dogs  as  a  rule  will  eat  any  of  the  varieties 
of  fish  that  are  caught  in  the  North — Whitefish, 
Trout,  Jackfish  (Pike  and  Pickerel),  Black  and 
Red  Suckers,  and  Dory — but  when  not  ravenously 
hungry,  and  the  opportunity  offers,  they  will 
show  a  nicety  of  taste,  and  their  preference,  by 
selecting  the  Whitefish,  which  is  the  choicest  to 
the  human  palate  also. 

In  a  country  where  food  is  the  one  great 
problem  of  existence,  providing  for  the  sled-dog 
is  no  small  matter,  particularly  in  winter.  There- 
fore on  the  eve  of  the  great  freeze-up,  with  pur- 
pose to  store  a  large  supply  of  fish  for  winter  dog- 


TIMBER   STAGE   ON   WHICH   IS   HUNG  THE   AUTUMN   CATCH   OP   PISH   POB   DOG-FOOD. 


PURE    TIMBER   WOLF   FEMALE:   IN   CAPTIVITY,   TO   IMPROVE   BREED    OF   SLED-DOGS. 
162] 


NETTING   WINTER'S   FISH   SUPPLY      163 

feed,  Fall  fishing  on  an  extensive  scale  is  yearly 
undertaken  by  the  Indians.  When  the  weather 
turns  cold  in  late  September  or  early  October, 
all  the  Indians  of  a  permanent  camp  depart  to 
their  well-known  fishing-grounds — women,  chil- 
dren, dogs,  teepee-covers,  cooking-dishes  are  bun- 
dled into  canoes  by  their  menfolk,  and  all  set 
out  for  the  various  river  outlets,  where  fish  at 
that  season  congregate  in  their  quest  of  spawning 
grounds.  Each  Indian  will  set  from  three  to 
four  long  gill-nets  (usually  200  feet  x  4  feet,  with 
2-inch  mesh — manufactured,  not  native  made), 
and  those  he  visits  once  a  day  in  the  cold  grey 
autumn  dawn  before  wind  rises  ;  and  as  a  rule 
he  brings  in  between  one  hundred  and  two  hun- 
dred fish.  When  landed  the  Indians  and  their 
squaws  slit  the  fish  through  the  body  some  little 
distance  from  the  tail,  and  truss  them  in  tens  on 
green  willow-rods  of  about  two  feet  length.  They 
are  placed  in  groups  of  ten  so  that  one  stick 
conveniently  allots  a  day's  rations  to  a  five-dog 
train — the  usual  number  driven  in  northern  terri- 
tory. Large  stages  constructed  with  the  trunks 
of  trees  are  erected,  and  across  the  stalwart 
framework,  from  side  to  side,  poles  are  spaced 
overhead  to  form  racks  that  receive  the  short 
rods  of  trussed  fish,  which  then  hang  suspended, 
head-downwards,  well  out  of  reach  of  dogs  or 
wild  animals.  Here  the  fish  are  frozen — some- 
times completely,  sometimes  partially,  depend- 
ing on  wer.itner;  and  keep,  on  the  whole,  almost 
completely  fresh  until  the  hour  the  thermometer 
drops  to  zero  and  the  great  freeze-up  sets  in. 
When  heavy  snow  has  fallen,  and  sleds  are  out, 


164    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE   NORTH  TRAILS 


the  frozen  fish  are  transported  from  the  stages 
at  the  fishing-ground,  and  stored  at  the  Indians' 
cabins. 

The  total  fish  caught  in  this  way  varies.  If 
a  complete  freeze-up  does  not  set  in  over-rapidly, 
one  man  may  have  8,000,  another  4,500,  another 
3,000 — which  is  sometimes  governed  by  the  num- 
ber of  dogs  to  feed,  and  sometimes  by  the  ability 
and  energy  of  the  fisherman.  Also  there  is  good 
luck  and  bad  luck. 

The  following  are  some  carefully  kept,  strange 
old  records  of  the  autumn  fish-catch  at  a  Far 
North  Post  in  1880 — almost  forty  years  ago ! 

Fish-catch  : 


Caught  with  six  nets  to  each  man — four 
men  fishing.     Twenty-four  nets  in  all.1 


weather  mild,  ice  still  weak. 


Caught  with  eight  nets  to  each  man, 
four  men  fishing,  thirty-two  nets  in 
all.  Nov.  23,  Whitefish,  finished  spawn- 
ing and  leaving  river.  Nov.  25,  took 
nets  from  river  and  set  at  usual  winter 
fishing-ground.  Fishing  in  river  never 
failed  so  early  before. 


1  Half  the  total  number  of  nets  are  set  each  day.  Meanwhile 
the  other  half — that  have  been  lifted  with  the  fish — are  being  dis- 
entangled and  dried  and  prepared  for  resetting  the  following  day. 


Nov.    2    . 

.     833^ 

3    . 

.     516 

4    . 

.     607 

5    . 

.     501 

6    . 

.     600 

8    . 

.     829 

Total 

.  3,685 

Nov.  2  —  Heavy 

snow  fa 

Fish-catch  : 

Nov.    9    . 

.     480  \ 

10    . 

.     600 

470 

780 

634 

980 

660 

434 

438 

606 

496 

23    . 

.     250 

194 

25    . 

.     200  / 

Total 

.  7,222 

TRAILING   OVER  ICE  AND   SNOW        165 

Nov.  11,  1880 — Ten  above  zero,  north  wind. 

Nov.  13,  1880 — Ten  below  zero,  waiting  news  of  Caribou. 

Nov.  14,  1880 — Strong  gale  from  west,  and  thawing  all  day,  few 
drops  of  rain — a  wonderful  occurrence.  Next  day  four  below  zero. 

Nov.  19,  1880— First  real  bitter  weather  this  Fall.  Twenty-nine 
below  zero. 

Fish-catch  : 

Nov.  27    .          .     200  ^ 
200 

204 

9V  Visiting  nets  every  second  or  third  day. 

220 
240^ 

Total        .          .  1,274 
Dec.  13 — All  nets  lifted — no  more  fishing.     Total  catch,  12,181  fish. 

TRAILING  OVER  ICE  AND  SNOW 

It  was  a  starlit  morning,  about  an  hour  from 
daybreak,  and  cold  as  the  very  devil.  I  had  got 
my  five  dogs  into  their  harness  in  the  awkward, 
persevering  fashion  of  a  man  with  numbed,  half- 
frozen  hands  working  amongst  frozen  collars  and 
traces  in  the  biting  cold,  while  circulation  is  yet 
asleep.  And  now  my  team  whimpered  to  be 
off  on  the  trail,  while  they  shivered  and  looked 
miserably  cowed  with  cold. 

But  there  was  a  hitch  this  morning,  one  sled 
was  not  ready  to  start.  Mistewgoso  was  groping 
about  the  tree-bottoms  and  bushes  of  the  forest, 
trying  to  uncover  a  lost  dog  that  was  buried  and 
hidden  in  the  snow  and  not  inclined  to  turn  out, 
being,  no  doubt,  overtired  with  the  hard  travelling 
of  the  past  few  days  and  comfortable  where  he 
was.  The  Indian  had  circled  closely  around  camp 
without  success,  then  set  out  upon  a  wider  circle, 
and  that  unavailing  he  tried  still  another,  calling 
Natch  eleaze— the  dog's  name — ingreatimpatience, 


166    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE   NORTH  TRAILS 

and  voicing  the  while  his  disapproval  of  the  dog's 
conduct.  Suddenly  a  yelp — Mistewgoso  had  un- 
snowed  the  culprit !  Fully  one  hundred  yards 
from  camp  the  Indian's  hawk-eyes  had  detected 
the  dog,  though  he  had  had  to  search  so  widely 
to  find  its  snow-lair,  and  had  not  overlooked  it 
in  the  dark. 

We  were  now  ready  to  go.  The  dogs  stood  or 
lay,  one  before  the  other,  in  their  harness — harness 
made  up  of  long,  continuous  side-traces  con- 
nected to  saddle,  and  belly-band  around  their 
middles,  and  to  head-collars  which  rested  on  the 
foreshoulders  and  received  each  dog's  pulling 
weight.  But,  having  been  left  standing,  of 
course  some  of  the  dogs  had  got  mixed  up  in  their 
harness  :  they  invariably  do,  as  that  is  accom- 
plished by  merely  turning  round  or  getting  a 
leg  or  two  over  the  traces.  Some  mix-ups  can  be 
righted  in  a  second ;  others  take  minutes  and  the 
undoing  of  many  buckles  or  thongs.  However, 
traces  were  soon  straightened  out  this  morning, 
while  impatient  dogs  gave  voice  to  their  wolf- 
howls  in  eagerness  to  start.  Then  each  driver 
called  out  to  the  leaders  and  we  were  off,  while  it 
was  "  Mush,  Toyfayr  !  Mush,  Corni !  Tuok  ! 
Tuok  I  Tuok  !  .  .  .  Ge-kook  !  Ge-kook  !  "  (to 
incite  them  to  break  into  a  gallop  and  warm 
up).  Then,  "  Ah  !  .  .  .  Peesu  !  "  in  reproachful 
tones,  as  you  note  the  traces  of  that  particular 
dog  slacken,  and  how  he  is  not  pulling  his  share. 
Again,  when  it  is  desired  to  change  your  direc- 
tion, the  cry  is  "  Hu,  Corni  (leader),  Hu !  "  if 
the  lead-dog  is  wanted  to  turn  to  the  right,  or 
11  Chac,  Corni,  Chac !  "  if  to  the  left. 


THE   POWER  OF  THE  NORTH  167 

There  were  three  dog-trains  on  the  trail,  for 
two  Indians  were  with  me — Mistewgoso  and 
J'Pierre.  We  had  been  out  a  week,  and  were 
still  heading  north. 

North,  always  north,  even  against  the  stirring 
warnings  of  the  voices  of  the  vast  unknown, 
and  the  threatened  overpowering  grip  of  the 
giant  elements  of  heartless  Arctic  cold.  At  times 
it  seemed  preposterous  that  against  those  forces 
such  little  things  as  we,  mere  dust-specks  in  such 
mighty  company,  should  dare  to  go  on,  and  go  on. 

Ah  !  there  is  power  in  the  North,  an  almost 
overwhelming  strength  of  surroundings.  You 
know  you  are  up  against  it ;  within  you  you  are 
almost  sure  it  will  get  you  in  the  end,  if  you 
go  just  a  little  too  far,  or  are  contemptuous  for 
an  hour  of  its  antagonism. 

On  this  occasion  we  were  travelling  far  and 
travelling  fast.  Those  long,  speedy-looking  sleds, 
running  lightly  on  the  surface,  contained  but  a 
few  "  sticks  "  of  fish  for  dog-feed,  our  rifles,  axes, 
snow-shoes,  cook-cans,  and  deerskin  sleeping- 
bags.  We  carried  no  freight,  though,  if  neces- 
sary, the  sleds  could  be  loaded  up  to  100  Ibs. 
per  dog. 

Light-fashioned  those  sleds  looked ;  narrow, 
flat-boarded  things  with  curling,  upturned  prows, 
rear  upright  back-rest,  rope  side-rails  from  back 
to  front,  and  thereto  attached  the  coffin-like  body 
of  tough  parchment  skins  which  were  laced  up  the 
sides  and  across  the  bottom.  But  into  such  sleds 
an  astonishing  load  can  be  packed.  When  fully 
loaded  the  bundles  of  freight  are  piled  to  a  height 
of  two  feet  or  thereby,  particular  care  being 


168    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

taken  to  have  the  whole  well  balanced  over  the 
sled-boards  ;  then  all  are  laced  into  final  position 
with  vice-tight  ropings  to  prevent  the  load  from 
slipping  when  the  sleds  slew  at  turnings,  or 
jar  as  the  dogs  lead  overland,  between  lakes, 
and  the  sleds  dip  into  hollows,  and  over  hillocks 
and  fallen  tree  trunks. 

In  weather  we  were  fortunate,  for  there  had 
been  no  deep  snowfall  recently,  and  the  powdery 
snow  had  drifted  and  packed  and  the  surface 
on  land  or  lake  was  everywhere  firm.  Snow- 
shoes  had  been  discarded.  No  trail  required 
breaking.  Overland  between  lakes  (for  it  was 
altogether  a  country  of  alternating  lake  and 
land)  we  sped,  light-footed  in  our  duffel-lined 
moccasins  behind  ever-nimble  dogs,  alert  to 
keep  the  sled-head  from  being  dashed  against 
upright  stumps  or  dead  logs  that  lay  in  our  path 

The  hardest  sled-driving  is  when  passing  over- 
land :  guide-rope  in  hand,  at  one  time  urging 
the  dogs  uphill,  at  another  time  righting  the 
sled  if  a  bad  canting  slope,  or  a  hidden  stump, 
has  overturned  it.  Then,  perhaps,  a  mad  scramble 
downhill,  guiding  the  sled,  sometimes  with  some- 
what random  effort,  as  it  sways  from  side  to 
side  in  its  impetuous  movement,  buffered  off  the 
shallow  banks  which  it  encounters  on  the  margins 
of  the  trail.  Finally,  at  sight  of  a  lake  ahead, 
the  dogs  break  into  a  gallop  at  prospect  of  getting 
on  to  the  level  again,  and  the  line  of  sleds  debouch 
on  to  the  lake  from  the  forest  like  a  veritable 
cataract.  Breathless,  or  if  not  breathless,  per- 
spiring, we  run  alongside  our  sleds,  board  the 
protruding  ledge  at  the  rear,  and  step  over  into 


HALTING   BETWEEN   CAMPS  169 

the  body  to  settle  down  for  a  rest  while  still 
watching  the  dogs  and  urging  them  on.  But 
before  long  we  are  out  on  the  ice  again,  trotting 
patiently  behind  the  dogs,  encouraging  them, 
and  using  the  whip  on  any  caught  slacking  (if 
not  foot-sore,  and  slacking  with  a  cause),  glad 
of  exercise  to  keep  up  warmth  against  the  cutting 
cold  wind  we  faced,  and  that  swept  over  lake  ice 
with  the  freedom  of  wind  on  the  sea. 

Travelling  light,  and  on  packed  snow,  with 
no  trail  to  break,  neither  hunting  en  route  nor 
trapping,  it  was  estimated  that  the  dogs  were 
travelling  from  four  to  five  miles  an  hour.  We 
were  travelling  in  three  stages  each  day  :  that 
is,  we  halted  to  make  two  "  fires "  between 
morning  start  and  night  camp.  In  each  stage 
the  dogs  ran  between  two  and  a  half  hours  and 
three  hours.  Therefore  the  minimum  distance 
of  travel  per  day  was  thirty  jniles,  and  the 
maximum  forty-five  miles. 

When  it  was  time  to  make  "  first  fire,"  a  well 
timbered,  sheltered  place  was  selected  and  the 
dogs  run  in  to  the  lake  edge.  Straightway  a  few 
spruce  trees  were  felled  on  to  the  lake  ice,  their 
branches  lobbed  off  and  spread  mat-fashion  on 
the  snow  to  accomodate  the  dogs,  whereupon  the 
teams,  still  harnessed  to  their  sleds,  were  led  on 
to  those  "  carpets  "  to  there  lie  down,  panting 
and  tired,  to  cool  off  while  their  feet  and  bodies 
were  safeguarded  from  contact  with  ice  and  snow. 
Back  a  little  way  in  the  shelter  of  the  woods  we 
then  kindled  a  camp-fire,  filled  the  cans  with 
water  from  a  hole  cut  with  an  axe  through  two 
feet  of  lake  ice,  and  soon  each  one  of  us  was  enjoy- 


170    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE  NORTH  TRAILS 

ing  fragrant  hot  tea  and  pemmican,  or  lumps 
of  cold  Caribou  meat  saved  from  the  previous 
night's  cooking.     Afterwards  pipes  and  laughter 
while  we  stood,  first  back,  then  front,  basking 
in  the  luxurious  warmth  of  the  log-fire. 

The  time  of  making  "  fires  "  of  course  varies. 
There  is  really  no  mechanical  measurement  of 
Time  in  the  Far  North  ;  only  are  the  spans  of 
daylight  measured  by  the  sun,  or  by  unfailing 
instinct  if  there  is  no  sun.  However,  a  fair 
guide  to  halts  on  the  winter  trail  are  :  Morning 
Fire,  6.30  a.m.  (about  an  hour  and  a  half  before 
daylight) ;  First  Fire  Halt,  9.30  a.m. — 10  a.m. ; 
Second  Fire  Halt,  2  p.m. -- 2.30  p.m.  Night 
Camp,  5.30  p.m.  (about  an  hour  and  a  half  after 
dark).  It  is  on  account  of  those  customary  halts 
that  Indians  always  answer  questions  as  to  how 
long  a  journey  will  take  by  giving  you  the  num- 
ber of  times  they  sleep  or  make  fire.  Thus  they 
say  :  "  To  go  Eskimo  camp,  we  sleep  ten  times  " 
(twelve  days'  travel) ;  or  again,  "  To  go  Gull- 
foot's  wigwam,  we  make  two  small  fires  "  (about 
six  hours'  travel) ;  or  "  two  long  fires  "  would 
mean  about  nine  hours'  travel. 

Throughout  the  day  we  kept  trailing  into  the 
North  over  river  and  lake  and  land  that  ever 
changed  in  line  and  aspect  yet  never  lost  the 
dead  white  countenance  of  frigid  snow.  The 
"  first  fire  "  we  left  behind,  and  the  second,  as 
we  had  done  on  the  days  before — each  marking  so 
much  gained  on  the  scale  of  man's  ambition  to 
explore,  yet  piling  up  the  leagues  of  snow  that  lay 
behind,  lengthening  the  gulf  between  solitude 
and  the  voices  of  fellow-mankind. 


MAKING  NIGHT   CAMP  171 

Even  after  the  short  winter's  day  had  ended  we 
were  still  calling  to  the  dogs  and  urging  them 
onward  as  they  flagged  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day's 
work.  The  wind  had  dropped,  it  was  some  de- 
grees more  intensely  cold,  and,  outside  our  small 
activities,  the  whole  vast  land  was  deadly  still 
with  silentness.  On,  ever  on,  like  a  shaft  of  black 
shadow,  the  line  of  sleds  crept  toward  the  head  of 
the  large  lake  we  were  crossing,  until  our  moving 
forms  were  brushed  from  the  level  white  surface 
and  engulfed  in  the  darkness  of  the  dwarf  forest 
on  shore. 

Among  the  trees  we  made  camp.  The  sleds 
were  drawn  into  position  to  barricade  our  sleeping 
ground  against  the  dogs  and  the  cold  ;  and  then 
the  dogs  were  released  from  their  harness.  Boughs 
were  cut  and  laid  for  the  dogs  to  rest  on,  vand 
then  all  hands  turned  toward  making  the  night's 
camp.  Space  was  cleared  sufficient  to  accommo- 
date a  large  log-fire  and  our  outstretched  forms. 
The  fire  was  kindled  at  the  edge  of  the  space 
down-wind ;  up-wind,  the  full  length  of  our 
bodies  from  the  fire,  the  back  of  a  two  to  three 
foot  barricade  was  built,  while  similar  sides  en- 
closed our  camping  space  to  the  fire,  which  counted 
the  fourth  side  of  our  enclosure.  This  three- 
sided  barricade  before  the  fire  was  partly  formed 
with  sleds,  and  completed  with  felled  trees  and 
snow-banking. 

As  soon  as  the  fire  was  well  ablaze  the  "  sticks  " 
of  fish  were  ranged  before  it  to  partially  thaw 
out  before  being  fed  to  the  dogs.  While  this  was 
being  done  the  camp  was  laid  with  a  thick  mat- 
tress of  boughs  so  that  we  would  not  sleep 


172    SLED-DOGS   OF  THE   NORTH  TRAILS 

directly  on  the  snow.  Also  a  great  pile  of  dead 
timber  was  gathered  for  the  night  fire. 

Those  things  were  completed  and  the  dogs  fed 
(two  fish  each)  before  any  attention  was  given  to 
our  own  wants.  Thereafter  pots  of  meat  were 
boiled  over  the  blazing  fire,  and  tea,  and  we  ate 
with  the  deep  content  of  lean  and  hungry  men. 

In  time  the  camp  was  ready  to  sleep.  Beyond 
the  fire  glare  most  of  the  dogs  had  ceased  to  move 
and  had  dug  themselves  holes  beneath  the  snow. 
Mistewgoso  made  a  final  round  outside  the  barri- 
cade to  make  sure  the  sleds  were  thoroughly 
protected  from  ravaging  dogs — some  of  whom 
would  prowl  stealthily  round  camp  like  wolves 
after  we  slept — then,  when  he  returned  satisfied, 
clad  as  we  were  in  our  heavy  fur  clothes,  we  curled 
into  our  fur-lined  sleeping-bags — feet  to  fire, 
and  sheltered  by  the  barricade  from  wind — and 
forgot  the  cold  and  the  trail  in  dreamless  sleep. 

I  have  endeavoured  to  describe  a  day  on  the 
north  trail,  particularly  the  mode  of  travel.  I 
have  known  many  such  days — their  food-shor- 
tage :  no  Caribou  :  dogs  weakening,  dogs  foot- 
sore, dogs  dying  :  and  Indian  companions  losing 
faith.  Travelling  north  is  not  free  of  risk  at  any 
time,  it  is  far  from  pleasant  then.  But  when 
without  food  in  bitter  weather  those  dogs  of 
endurance  will  gamely  do  their  best  for  three  or 
four  days  and  may  save  an  anxious  situation  in 
the  end.  It  is  then  that  one  learns  the  greatness 
of  their  strength,  and  the  spirit  that  resists  to  the 
last  blood-drop,  unmurmuring,  Big  as  the  stern- 
disciplined  North  that  has  mothered  them. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    TRAPPER 

DAY  was  breaking,  and  cold  mist,  less  white 
than  the  virgin  snow,  hung  over  the  land  ;  slowly 
it  was  lifting  now  that  the  long  winter  night  was 
over. 

Gullfoot  came  to  the  door  of  his  cabin,  fumbled 
a  moment  to  release  the  wooden  peg-latch, 
coughed  heavily,  and  looked  out  in  grave  con- 
templation of  the  dreary  scene  while  chill  air 
searched  like  deadly  serpent  in  through  the  open 
door.  The  clearing,  the  great  expanse  of  frozen 
lake  to  North  and  South,  the  dark  forest  back- 
ground :  all  were  familiar  and  dear  to  his  heart. 
But  to-day  he  saw  them  not  in  appreciation,  for 
his  thoughts  were  with  the  weather  and  its  over- 
night effect  on  his  long  trap-line. 

A  little  fresh  snow  had  fallen  ;  enough  to  spoil 
Fox-traps  on  the  lakes  if  wind  should  arise  and 
drift  it :  but,  wind  or  not,  other  traps,  set  in 
the  shelter  of  the  forest  for  Marten,  and  Mink, 
and  Wolverine  were  safe  from  being  smothered, 
and  the  better  disguised  of  human  scent,  now 
that  they  lay  beneath  this  light,  fresh  covering 
of  snow.  .  .  .  Hud !  there  was  no  need  for  anxiety 
this  day  :  traps  were  not  buried  in  two  or  three 
feet  of  fresh  snow ;  and  there  was  no  indication  of 
storm. 

13  173 


174  THE   TRAPPER 

Gullfoot  did  not  stand  long  at  the  door  :  a 
moment  was  enough  to  idle  there  in  zero  weather 
when  warmth  was  within  ;  and  enough  time,  too, 
for  him  to  read  the  weather  and  make  deductions. 
But  even  in  those  moments  in  the  morning  air 
that  racking  lung  cough  of  his  broke  out  again 
and  shook  the  very  foundation  of  his  frame 
as  he  closed  the  door  behind  him.  Alas !  it 
was  often  so  with  him  in  those  bleak  winter 
mornings,  for  this  strong,  athletic  figure  of  a  man, 
whom  you  might  think  could  not  know  sickness, 
was  touched  with  the  Indian  plague  and  had  in 
him  the  seeds  of  consumption,  though  no  hectic 
flush  could  ever  mantle  his  copper-bronzed  face 
to  betray  in  that  its  presence. 

Gullfoot's  winter  cabin  was  of  logs,  built  with 
care  with  the  stunted  scrub  pine  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  It  was  a  small  low  building  of  sturdy 
appearance ;  the  four  corners  were  notched 
together  with  the  accurate  skill  of  a  practised 
axeman ;  the  walls  were  straight,  and  grey  as  stone 
with  the  clay-mud  which  filled  the  cracks  between 
the  timbers  ;  the  roof,  which  was  thickly  thatched 
with  marsh-hay,  pitched  steeply  and  threw 
deep  shadows  at  the  eaves — a  simple,  primitive 
dwelling,  but  true  to  its  purpose  to  withstand  the 
rigour  of  Arctic  winter  and  afford  full  shelter  for 
its  inmates. 

Indoors  there  was  warmth  and  comfort,  and 
pleasant  scene  of  native  homeliness.  The  low 
room,  to  which  Gullfoot  returned  from  his  survey 
at  the  door,  was  dimly  lit  from  a  single  small 
window  opening  in  the  south  wall,  across  which 
was  stretched  a  sheet  of  clear  skin  parchment 


AN   INDIAN   CABIN  175 

to  serve  as  "  glass."  The  walls  were  ornamented 
with  beadwork,  some  old  bows  and  arrows, 
a  powder-horn,  and  a  muzzle-loading,  lead- 
ball,  flint-lock  rifle  hung  from  wooden  pegs  in 
rare  disorder.  The  bed,  which  nestled  close  to 
one  wall,  was  framed  with  boughs  from  the  forest 
and  filled  in  across  with  light  branches  to  form 
the  "  spring,"  while,  over  this,  laced  hay-grass 
furnished  a  mattress  :  the  whole  was  abundantly 
covered  with  thick  warm  Caribou  rugs.  A  crude 
table  and  three  chairs  occupied  the  centre  of  the 
floor,  articles  hewn  smooth  with  axe  and  knife, 
and  much  labour,  from  the  woods  of  the  forest, 
and  grained  naturally  with  constant  use.  In 
the  far  corner  a  log-fire  blazed  brightly  in  a 
hooded,  stone-built  fireplace,  and  threw  its  light 
in  dancing  wavelets  along  the  darkly  smoke  - 
fumed  timber  of  the  rude-cut  ceiling  beams.  A 
black  iron  pot  hung  over  the  fire,  hooked  to  a  rod  ; 
a  dwarf  wooden  stool  was  by  the  hearth.  On 
the  wall  close  to  the  fire,  pots  and  pans  filled  a 
shelf  close  to  the  floor.  Overhead  a  string  of  dry 
medicine  roots  and  a  fire-bag  hung  from  a  rafter. 
At  the  fire  an  Indian  woman  was  preparing 
food,  and,  as  was  her  habit,  she  but  glanced  up 
as  the  man  came  in  and  continued  her  duties 
without  a  word.  Her  face  was  set  and  grave  as 
became  her  age,  for  the  countless  withered  wrinkles 
told  that  she  was  in  the  autumn  of  life  Hers  was 
a  shrunken  face  rather  than  full,  and  the  skin 
was  bronzed  as  with  a  deep  sunburn.  In  the 
profile  lay  character,  for  the  outline  was  straight 
and  refined,  and  firmly  chiselled  with  the  im- 
pression of  endurance  and  patient  strength.  En- 


176  THE   TRAPPER 

hanced  by  jet-black  hair  and  deep  dark  eyes 
there  lurked  still  in  this  face  the  shadow  of 
bygone  comeliness  and  of  proud  native  woman- 
hood. The  figure,  which  was  clothed  in  black 
European  clothing,  excepting  the  tanned  moccas- 
ined  feet,  was  tall  and  erect,  unbent  with  the 
weight  of  years,  and  hers  was  a  bearing  that 
bespoke  activity  unusual  to  one  of  her  years, 
even  among  the  tribes  of  her  own  enduring  people. 

Her  name  was  Nokum,  the  squaw  of  Gullfoot. 

There  were  no  children  in  the  cabin.  Two  sons 
and  a  daughter  there  had  been,  who  had  married 
and  gone  to  hunting-grounds  of  their  own. 

Gullfoot  himself  was  a  pure  Chipewyan  Indian  : 
chief  of  hunting  people  in  manhood,  child  all  his 
life  of  the  waste  places  near  to  the  edge  of  the 
Barren  Grounds  where  the  Eskimo  is  neighbour 
over  the  marches  to  the  north.  He  was  a  hand- 
some man  even  at  fifty  ;  a  very  handsome  man. 
He  had  beautiful,  even  features  throughout : 
a  broad  forehead — typical  of  the  Chipewyan 
race — high  cheek-bones,  a  finely  shaped  nose, 
a  strong,  square  chin  and  a  firm,  clear-lipped 
mouth.  In  stature  he  was  tall  for  an  Indian, 
being  not  much  under  six  feet,  perfectly  set  up, 
active  in  every  movement ;  lean ;  an  athlete, 
every  inch  of  him ;  and  at  times  this  man's 
bearing  and  reserve  was  that  of  a  monarch,  a  man 
whom  you  instinctively  felt  had  pride  of  race, 
and  on  whom  you  could  never  look  as  an  inferior. 
But  he  was  no  monarch,  and  made  no  pretence 
to  be.  The  days  of  the  Great  Chiefs  were  over, 
though  drops  of  their  blood  remained.  Gullfoot 
was  Indian,  and  therefore  a  hunter  and  wanderer 


by  instinct,  and  to  know  him  at  heart  you  had 
to  look  in  his  eyes,  eyes  that  were  dark  almost  to 
blackness  yet  alive  with  light  and  activity ;  to 
know  him  still  better  you  had  to  go  with  him  out 
on  the  trail  and  marvel  at  the  skill  and  resource 
of  this  primitive  man,  while  realising  how  far 
his  education  and  intelligence  were  ahead  of  your 
own  in  reading  every  mood  of  the  wilderness — the 
elements  and  the  creature  things — on  which  the 
welfare  of  white  man  or  red  wholly  depend  if 
they  are  to  exist  in  his  country.  .  .  . 

About  noon  on  the  previous  day  I  had  landed 
at  Gullfoot's  cabin  greeted  by  the  fierce  barking 
of  his  dozen  sled-dogs,  whose  clamour  he  came 
out  to  quell  while  welcoming  me  in.  It  was  then 
bitterly  cold — zero  weather,  with  a  strong  wind 
blowing  from  the  north-west.  Sun-dogs,  or  par- 
helion, a  bright  mark  of  short  perpendicular 
lines  of  softly  hazed,  luminous  rainbow  tints  of 
almost  similar  radiance  to  the  sun,  had  been 
showing  in  the  morning  sky  on  either  side  of  the 
low  winter  sun  at  wide  but  equal  intervals  from 
it ;  phenomenon  peculiar  to  the  dead  of  winter. 
And  it  was  indeed  that  season — the  Dead  of 
Winter  :  Gullfoot,  the  following  morning,  quaintly 
showed  me  his  record  that  it  was  so,  in  pointing 
to  the  rising  sun  where  it  struck  through  the 
window  into  the  very  corner  in  the  north-east 
interior  of  his  cabin.  It  was  thus  in  his  home 
that  he  measured  the  shortest  days,  and  the 
longest  days  :  in  the  height  of  summer,  he  told, 
"  it  reaches  away  to  that  axe-notch  in  the  centre 
of  the  north  wall." 

Gullfoot  made  me  welcome,  and  I  was  glad  of 


178  THE   TRAPPER 

the  luxury  of  shelter  of  a  house-roof,  and  to 
obtain  food  for  my  far-spent  dogs.  Do  not 
ask  me  where  I  slept  in  this  single-room  cabin. 
I  did  not  turn  the  good  people  from  their  couch, 
and  I  was  comfortable  nevertheless,  and  thought 
it  considerable  good  fortune  to  be  indoors. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  arranged  that  I  would 
accompany  Gullfoot  on  his  next  round  on  his 
trap-line. 

He  would  go  to-morrow,  he  told  me  on  his 
return  from  his  morning  weather  survey  through 
the  door,  for  he  thought  the  wind  would  rise 
later  in  the  day,  and  if  so  his  traps  on  the  lakes 
in  exposed  positions  would  require  resetting.  He 
had  been  out  six  days  ago,  to-morrow  would  be 
the  seventh  day,  and  the  weather  in  the  interval 
had  been  particularly  good  and  promised  some 
pelts. 

So  I  had  a  day  to  wait  at  the  cabin. 

Gullfoot  employed  part  of  his  time  on  the 
construction  of  a  new  sled — a  sled  with  runners 
on  either  side  of  about  a  foot  depth  below  the 
sled-board  bottom  ;  not  the  flat-bottom,  runner- 
less  sled  of  the  type  common  to  the  Indians  a 
few  degrees  further  south,  where  larger  wood  for 
broad  boards  is  obtainable.  The  runners  he 
made  were  peculiar,  for  they  had  no  frame,  no 
iron  "  keel " ;  just  layer  after  layer  of  wet 
moss  laid  on  and  frozen  stiff  until  the  runners 
were  fully  formed  and  shaped,  when  they  were 
then  axe-pared,  and  planed  to  smoothness,  and 
iced  over  by  applications  of  coatings  of  water. 
They  were,  on  completion,  veritable  planks  of 
rigid  ice,  with  stout  adhesion,  and  latitude  for 


GULLFOOT'S  DOG-TEAM  179 

expansion  and  contraction  secured  by  the  admix- 
ture of  fibrous  moss.  A  sled  so  made  serves  well ; 
verily  "  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention." 

While  thus  working,  outside  the  cabin  door 
Gullfoot's  dogs,  and  my  own,  prowled  about ; 
but  to  those  he  paid  no  visible  heed.  An  Indian 
has  no  warm  affection  for  animals,  and  Gullfoot 
was  no  exception.  However,  in  reply  to  my 
questions,  he  pointed  out  his  best  team,  and 
named  them  in  Chipewyan — which  names  were 
in  English  translation  Day  Star,  Raven,  Smoke, 
Evil  Eye,  Lynx ! 

Those  dogs  were  typical  of  an  Indian's  team 
in  the  north,  and  therefore,  perhaps,  worth  brief 
description  :  RAVEN  :  A  very  big  husky,  larger 
than  the  common,  and  with  longer,  almost  shaggy 
hair.  He  was  black  in  colour  except  for  a  fawn 
mark  on  the  eyebrow  over  each  eye.  Gullfoot 
used  him  in  his  team  as  the  sled-dog — the  dog 
next  to  the  prow  of  the  sled — where  his  weight 
served  well  to  steady  the  slew,  or  buffeting,  of 
the  sled  when  in  motion. 

SMOKE  :  A  dog  of  striking  colour,  and  purity 
of  breed.  A  splendid-looking  husky  in  form; 
and  white  throughout  with  just  a  tinge  of  buff. 
He  was  such  a  dog  as  everyone  in  a  city  would 
turn  to  look  at  in  admiration  and  wonder,  did 
you  transport  him  there.  He  was  a  good  worker 
and  well  broken. 

EVIL  EYE  :  This  unfortunate  dog  was  blind  in 
the  right  eye,  which  shone  glassy  green.  Other- 
wise he  was  without  blemish  and  a  fine,  powerful, 
active-looking  dog.  He  was  grey- wolf  colour 
except  for  an  odd  white  left-shoulder  mark. 


180  THE   TRAPPER 

Gullfoot  reports  him  bad  to  harness,  being  restless 
and  excitable,  and  always  twisting  himself  in  the 
traces  at  a  halt ;  but  he  was  a  good  dog  otherwise. 

LYNX  :  A  little  short-limbed  active  dog,  about 
the  size  of  a  highland  collie,  with  a  much-scarred 
nose  and  a  reputation  for  fighting.  He  was  a  cross- 
bred dog  with  drooping  ears,  and  was  chiefly 
black  in  colour,  with  brown  belly  and  paws. 
A  dog  one  would  not  look  at  twice,  but  worth 
his  weight  in  gold.  "  My  best  dog,"  said  Gull- 
foot  ;  "  pulls  hard,  has  a  great  heart  for  work, 
and  doesn't  know  when  to  quit."  He  looked  it : 
game  through  and  through. 

DAY  STAR  :  Neither  a  husky  nor  a  cross-bred 
sled-dog ;  just  a  mustard-yellow  terrier-hound 
mongrel  with  scant,  close-set  coat  of  hair  to  with- 
stand cold.  She  had  a  white  star-mark  on  her 
forehead,  but  she  was  well  named  on  a  second 
score,  for  she  it  was  who  guided  the  team  at  Gull- 
foot's  bidding.  This  was  Gullfoot's  leader ;  an 
animal  of  wonderful  intelligence,  he  told  me, 
in  following  snow-covered  trails,  and  with  a 
memory  almost  more  acute  than  that  of  a  human 
being  for  places  she  has  once  passed.  Gullfoot 
showed  his  appreciation  of  her  in  covering  her 
short-haired  body  with  a  blanket-rug  to  help 
keep  her  warm  when  on  the  trail ;  a  considerable, 
and  rare,  condescension  on  the  part  of  an  Indian 
toward  a  dog. 

After  discussing  dogs,  we  talked  foxes.  Every- 
one in  the  North  talked  foxes  in  1914.  With  the 
floating  of  Fox  Farms  in  the  Eastern  Provinces 
the  demand  had  gone  up  for  live  fox  cubs  of  all 
kinds,  and  hunters  were  tremendously  stimulated 


DIGGING   OUT   YOUNG  FOXES  181 

by  the  enormous  prices  given  for  silver  or  black 
cubs,  which  to  the  fortunate  captors  represented 
a  veritable  gold-mine. 

In  April  and  May,  when  the  fox-dens  are 
located  and  the  cubs  dug  out,  places  such  as 
Big  River  and  He  a  la  Crosse  were  "  fox-crazy," 
and  the  whole  territory  within  reach  was  being 
scoured  for  Reynard. 

This  wholesale  capture  of  foxes  serves  the 
mood  of  the  moment,  but  I  fear  there  are  yet 
to  be  many  regrets  when  both  trapper  and  fox- 
merchant  come  to  realise  that  they  have  killed 
"  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  egg." 

If  wild-fox  fur  is  to  remain  a  valuable  asset 
to  Canada,  digging  out  the  young  in  the  early 
spring  should  be  made  illegal  by  law,  or  limited 
by  law  to  a  very  stringent  degree.  The  export  of 
live  foxes  is  governed  in  a  degree  by  the  issue  of 
permits,  but  these  permits  in  1914  were  generously 
given,  it  seemed  to  me,  and,  moreover  were  often 
evaded ;  nor  was  it  possible  in  out-of-the-way 
places  to  follow  the  movements  of  keen  buyers  or 
the  extent  of  their  purchases. 

Again,  in  1914,  by  a  recent  revision  of  the 
Game  Act,  it  was  unlawful  to  take  foxes  before 
May  15.  This  restriction  was  seldom  observed 
north  of  the  frontier,  cubs  were  dug  just  when 
the  dens  contained  them,  and  kept  until  they  were 
wanted  by  the  buyer.  Such  a  state  of  affairs 
would  cease  if  it  was  unlawful  to  dig  out  foxes 
and  unlawful  to  buy  foxes,  except,  perhaps,  in 
a  very  limited  degree,  and  only  under  Govern- 
ment supervision.  Obviously,  if  it  is  desired 
to  preserve  a  declining  species  of  any  kind,  man- 


182  THE   TRAPPER 

kind  must  protect  it  at  the  time  it  is  bringing 
forth  young.  And  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
also  that  many  of  the  foxes  are  dug  out  of  their 
dens  when  but  a  few  days  old,  and  a  large  per- 
centage totally  lost  during  early  captivity,  when 
artificially  mothered  and  artificially  fed. 

Moreover,  it  may  be  doubtful  if  Fox  Farms, 
the  booming  of  which  has  been  a  means  of  enter- 
taining public  speculation,  will  have  any  great 
success  beyond  a  temporary  one.  Foxes  roam 
far,  and  are  very  restless  in  their  wild  state,  and 
it  seems  idle  to  expect  other  than  an  inferior 
race  from  production  in  confinement,  even  though 
the  farms  succeed  in  increasing  the  number  of 
Black  and  Silver  Foxes,  which  is  their  object. 
Temperament,  freedom,  food  and  temperature— 
for  the  further  north  the  better  the  fur — all 
seem  to  point  to  this.  Thus  trapping  the  adult 
fox  in  its  wild  and  natural  haunts,  in  the  few 
months  when  the  fur  is  at  its  prime,  is  conceiv- 
ably the  fairest  way,  and  the  best,  to  encourage 
lasting  fur  trade,  while,  at  the  same  time,  such 
trapping  does  not  reduce  the  stock  unduly. 
Furthermore,  trapping  the  fox  in  its  native 
haunts  worthily  helps  the  Indians  to  a  means  of 
obtaining  what  little  luxuries  they  have ;  and 
those  of  them  that  remain  of  the  race  of  peoples 
whose  country  we  have  overwhelmed  deserve 
every  consideration  that  can  be  given.  It  would 
be  surely  a  pity  to  take  away  from  them  a  part  of 
the  trade  which  they  have  always  had  since 
their  first  meetings  with  the  white  man. 

The  fur  of  those  foxes  under  discussion  is  that 
which   eventually  finds  its   way  in  great  bales 


LISTEXIXQ  ATTITUDES. 


IS   ALL   CLEAR? 


182] 


FOX  PELTS   AND   THEIR  VALUE        183 

to  London  and  Paris  and  New  York,  to  be  even- 
tually made  up  and  marketed  in  costly  robes. 
And  it  may  be  of  interest  to  here  set  forth  some 
description  of  their  definitions  in  the  country  of 
their  birth. 

There  is,  as  there  is  a  wide  range  of  colour,  a 
wide  range  of  values  in  fox  fur  in  the  raw  state 
in  trapping  country.  A  prime  black  fox  pelt  may 
fetch,  in  accordance  to  size,  £100  to  £55,  and  the 
all-silver  fox  £30  to  £16.  Between  those  prices 
are  graded  the  three-quarter-black  (three-quarter- 
neck  is  the  term  of  the  traders),  half-black  and 
quarter-black,  whose  definition  of  colour  I  will 
describe  further  on.  But  those  are  the  rare  skins ; 
the  typical  red,  and  ordinary  Cross  fox,  are 
worth  about  £l  6s.,  the  good  Cross  about  £2  8s. 

Pelts  are  bartered  by  the  Indians  for  tea,  sugar, 
tobacco,  ammunition,  clothes,  etc.,  etc.,  though 
sometimes  a  small  percentage  of  the  transaction 
is  in  cash.  All  goods  that  pass  in  barter  are 
highly  priced,  for  the  heavy  cost  of  man-transport 
over  the  long  difficult  trail  to  the  post  has  to  be 
added,  as  also  have  losses  en  route,  and  various 
percentage  margins.  So  that  stores  that  might 
be  bought  for  £30  at  Prince  Albert  might  be  valued 
at  say  £50  at  Fort  Du  Brochet  at  the  end  of  a 
summer's  transportation. 

Dealing  now  with  the  range  of  colours  :  if  one 
said  that  one  Black  or  Silver  Fox  was  caught  in 
every  fifty  foxes  trapped,  one  would  be  some- 
where near  the  proportion  of  their  rarity.  I  have 
arrived  at  such  a  proportion  from  actual  figures 
of  catches  in  1913.  Estimates  many  years  ago, 
from  one  Hudson  Bay  district,  of  foxes  caught 


184  THE  TRAPPER 

over  twelve  years — from  1848  to  1860 — stated 
that  1-5-  were  silver  or  black,  and  of  the  remainder 
•5%  cross,  and  -fg  red.1  Since  then  the  black  and 
silver  foxes  have  become  more  rare. 

All  foxes  in  the  north  of  Canada,  excepting  the 
Arctic  or  White  Fox,  are  of  the  same  species, 
though  separated  in  trade,  on  account  of  the 
varieties  of  colour,  into  four  classes :  Black, 
Silver,  Cross,  and  Red.  There  are  grades  of 
shade  between  the  pure  Black  Fox  and  the  pure 
Red,  but  the  above  are  well-defined  limits  to 
work  on.  Only  in  two  places  is  the  colour 
unchanging,  for  the  tip  of  the  brush  and  a 
small  mark  on  the  forebreast  remain  always 
white. 

Regarding  the  actual  production  of  the  different 
varieties  :  the  offspring  of  two  Silver  Foxes  might 
be  silver  ;  on  the  other  hand,  such  mating  might 
throw  back  to  Cross  or  Red  ancestors.  But 
in  any  event  foxes,  in  their  wild  state,  do  not 
cohabit  strictly  in  pairs.  At  the  season  of  pro- 
pagation a  number  of  males  accompany  a  female 
much  in  the  manner  of  dogs,  and  fight  violently 
for  possession  of  her ;  and  as  those  males  may 
vary  in  colour,  so  may  they  give  rise  to  the 
varieties  which  may  be  found  in  a  single  litter. 

The  perfect  Black  Fox  is  glossy  jet-black 
throughout,  excepting  the  small  white  mark  on 
the  forebreast  and  tail-tip,  while  there  may  be  a 
very  few  silver  hairs  on  the  back  over  the  rump. 

The  Silver  Fox  is  similar  to  the  Black  Fox, 
but  may  have  a  greater  or  lesser  area  interspersed 

1  Through  the  Mackenzie  Basin,  notes  on  mammals  by  Roderick 
MacFarlane. 


VARIETY  OF  COLOUR  IN  FOXES         185 

with  silver  hairs,  and  those  areas  are  usually 
designated  in  the  Fur  Posts  by  the  terms,  "  three- 
quarter-neck,"  "  half-neck,"  and  "  quarter-neck." 
A  three-quarter-neck  Silver  Fox  is  all  black  except 
over  the  rump  and  hindquarters,  which  area  is 
lightly  interspersed  with  silver-grey  hairs ;  a  half- 
neck  Silver  Fox  is  the  same,  except  that  the 
silver  hairs  extend  to  the  middle-back  ;  while  a 
quarter-neck  has  the  whole  black  body  inter- 
spersed with  silver  hairs  excepting  the  head  and 
neck,  which  are  all  black. 

The  handsome  Cross  Fox  has  many  variations 
of  colour,  brought  about  by  a  greater  or  lesser 
amount  of  greys  and  a  corresponding  variance  of 
the  extent  of  red.  However,  a  typical  Cross 
Fox  has  the  entire  back  and  hindquarters  thick- 
speckled  stone-grey,  and  the  forehead  and  sides 
of  head  the  same  colour ;  the  rear  of  the  hind- 
quarters and  the  root  of  the  tail,  underneath, 
show  pale  whitish  buff ;  the  tail  is  black  on  the 
upper  side,  excepting  the  white  tip,  and  paler 
buffish  black  below ;  the  under- jaw,  throat, 
breast,  belly,  and  all  limbs  are  black;  the  sides 
behind  the  foreshoulders,  and  the  neck  behind 
the  ears,  are  reddish  buff ;  the  back  of  the  neck 
is  reddish-tinged  grey  with  more  black  showing 
than  on  the  back ;  the  back  of  the  ears  is 
velvet  black ;  the  nose  to  the  eyes  is  black  with 
a  few  silver  hairs. 

Lastly,  a  typical  Red  Fox  has  a  general  body 
colour  of  medium  yellowish-red  buff,  with  the 
belly  and  legs  and  the  back  of  the  ears  black. 
But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Red  Fox 
has  degrees  of  variation  from  this  colour  leading 


186  THE   TRAPPER 

out  toward  the   most  reddish-grey  varieties  of 
the  Cross  Fox.  .  .  . 

By  night  Gullfoot  and  I  had  exhausted  our 
fox-talk,  which  had  been  sustained  by  my  interest 
in  his  collection  of  freshly  trapped  pelts,  which 
he  took  some  trouble  to  show  me. 

As  full  night  came  on,  accompanied  by  inevit- 
able increase  in  low  temperature,  and  Arctic 
array  of  Northern  Lights,  we  turned  in  to  sleep 
with  thoughts  of  an  early  start  on  the  morrow. 

Two  hours  before  daybreak  next  morning  we 
were  astir  in  the  cabin,  and,  aided  by  a  glimmering, 
fitful  light  from  a  vessel  containing  liquid  grease 
rendered  from  wolf  fat,  which  fed  a  piece  of 
twisted  rag  to  which  light  had  been  applied,  we 
robed  in  our  outdoor  clothing  of  Eskimo  Caribou 
suits,  and  prepared  and  partook  of  food. 

An  hour  before  daylight,  out  in  the  bitter  cold, 
our  dogs  were  harnessed  and  ready  to  start. 

All  day  we  travelled  on  Gullfoot's  trap-line 
through  forest  and  over  lakes  and  rivers.  By 
night  we  must  have  covered  some  thirty  to  forty 
miles,  and  had  visited  forty  traps,  from  which 
had  been  taken  one  Cross  Fox,  one  Red  Fox,  one 
Wolf,  four  Marten,  and  three  Mink :  which 
Gullfoot  assured  me  was  a  successful  and  gratify- 
ing result. 

From  this  it  may  be  gathered  that  trapping 
is  not  a  simple  task,  and  animals  not  to  be 
picked  up  in  any  abundance  even  on  a  wide  range. 
Broadly  speaking,  Gullfoot  had  one  trap  set  to 
every  mile,  and  those  sets  resulted  in  one  animal 
captured  to  every  four  miles.  If  one  assumes 
that  Gullfoot  trapped  with  equal  vigour  during 


AREA  OF  TRAP   SETTING  187 

the  best  three  months  for  fur,  viz.  November, 
December,  and  January,  and  visited  his  trap- 
line  every  week  with  equal  success,  his  total 
catch  (thirteen  weeks  x  ten  animals)  taken  in  a 
season  would  represent  practically  three  animals 
to  every  mile  of  territory.  One  hundred  and 
thirty  animals,  the  total  thus  arrived  at,  is, 
however,  a  much  larger  catch  than  is  common, 
and  would  in  all  probability,  on  an  average,  be 
much  reduced  by  spells  of  bad  trapping  weather 
lasting  over  a  week  or  two,  and  consequent  less 
productive  days  than  the  one  I  write  of,  which 
was  in  any  case,  apparently,  a  particularly  suc- 
cessful one.  Then,  too,  traps  are  sometimes 
changed  to  fresh  localities,  often  as  far  afield  as 
three  days  from  the  trapper's  cabin,  which 
vastly  increases  the  area  covered ;  so  that,  all 
things  considered,  it  may  even  be  doubtful  if 
one  mile  can  produce  to  the  trapper  one  fur- 
bearing  animal  in  a  season  in  the  Far  North 
country  immediately  south  of  the  Barren  Grounds. 

All  fur-bearing  animals,  whose  kind  have  been 
hunted  and  trapped  for  generations,  are  exceed- 
ingly wary,  and  it  is  a  revelation  to  a  novice 
to  watch  an  Indian  gravely  make  his  sets  with 
superb  cunning,  sufficient,  in  some  instances, 
to  outwit  the  most  wily  of  quarry. 

I  will  endeavour  to  describe  how  Gullfoot's 
traps  were  set,  which  are  the  usual  Indian 
methods. 

His  fox-traps,  without  exception,  were  always 
set  in  the  open  snow  on  the  ice  near  some  promi- 
nent shore  point  of  an  expansive  lake,  or  near  an 
island ;  or  in  the  narrows  which  sometimes  con- 


188  THE   TRAPPER 

nect  two  or  more  lakes.  He  had  twelve  traps 
set  in  such  locations,  strong  double-spring  traps 
of  the  size  known  as  No.  2.  Those  traps  were 
chained  to  a  pole  about  six  feet  long  and  of  calcu- 
lated weight  to  prevent  an  animal  from  travel- 
ling far,  while  at  the  same  time  it  would  give  if 
severe  strain  was  put  upon  it ;  this  latter  to  pre- 
vent the  fox  from  obtaining  sufficient  direct 
purchase  on  the  trap  in  endeavour  to  break  its 
foot  clear  when  caught.  When  a  favourable  spot 
had  been  chosen,  the  log  was  carefully  buried 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  snow,  and  the  trap 
set,  with  a  fine  sheet  of  tissue  paper — carried 
for  the  purpose,  and  obtained  at  the  Fur  Post — 
laid  over  the  pan  and  jaws  to  prevent  snow 
filling  below,  where  it  would  choke  the  drop,  and 
the  whole  then  covered  with  a  light  powdering 
of  snow  until  every  sign  of  human  disturbance 
was  erased.  A  few  morsels  of  meat  or  frozen 
fish  were  then  spread  near,  but  not  necessarily 
directly  at,  the  trap,  for  it  often  allays  suspicion 
of  a  trap's  actual  presence  to  allow  the  animal 
to  find  food  in  safety  during  its  first  timid  ap- 
proach, when  it  naturally  then  becomes  more 
bold.  The  situation  of  the  trap  was  usually 
near  the  top  of  a  small  mound  of  snow,  natural, 
or  made  up  with  snow,  and  somewhat  resem- 
bling a  buried  stone,  for  it  is  known  that  foxes  are 
prone  to  investigate  such  objects,  probably  in 
the  hope  that  it  is  a  snowed-over  carcass  of 
some  kind,  or  retains  the  scent  of  a  comrade  who 
has  passed  before. 

Twice    Gullfoot's    fox-traps   were    set   in    the 
neighbourhood  of  a  Caribou  carcass,  and  one  of 


HOW  TRAPS   ARE   SET  189 

the  foxes  taken  was  there  caught.  In  those 
cases  the  traps  were  not  set  at  the  carcass,  but 
some  distance  away,  where  the  foxes  would  circle 
suspiciously  before  daring  to  approach  the  quarry. 

Traps  for  Marten  were  set  in  the  forest  at  the 
foot  of  dark  spruce  and  pine  trees.  Gullfoot's 
method  was  to  make  there  a  tiny  enclosure  which 
in  plan  was  like  a  U  lying  on  its  side,  the  bottom 
of  the  U  being  the  tree  trunk,  and  two  little 
palisades  forming  the  sides  made  with  closely 
set  upright  stakes  stuck  into  the  snow.  As 
in  the  top  of  a  U,  there  then  remained  an  opening  : 
and  there  the  trap — a  single-spring  No.  0 — was 
set  just  within  the  entrance,  while  beyond  the 
trap,  inside,  next  the  tree  trunk,  was  placed  a 
fish  head  pegged  down  with  a  stick  :  to  reach 
this  bait  any  animal  desiring  it  must  pass  over 
the  trap.  Over  the  top  of  the  palisade ;  to 
shelter  the  trap  from  snow,  and  the  bait  from  the 
eyes  of  the  thieving  Canada  Jay,  a  number  of 
spruce  boughs  were  laid,  and  covered  with  snow 
to  resemble  the  surroundings.  Footprints  were 
then  carefully  obliterated  for  some  distance  as  we 
retraced  our  steps,  and  the  set  was  then  complete. 

Mink-traps  were  often  set  in  much  the  same 
manner,  but  in  very  different  surroundings ; 
the  chosen  situations  being  about  the  overhang- 
ing banks  of  narrows  between  lakes,  or  of  frozen 
streams,  for  those  animals  frequent  the  neighbour- 
hood of  water.  In  some  cases  Mink-traps  were 
set  in  naturally  formed  narrow  runways  at  the 
bottom  of  a  bank,  along  which  a  small  animal 
was  almost  sure  to  pass  if  it  came  that  way. 
Such  sets  were  unbaited. 
14 


190  THE   TRAPPER 

At  one  point  in  the  forest  Gullfoot  had  a  cache 
of  Caribou  meat,  and  below  this  he  had  set  two 
powerful  traps  on  the  chance  of  the  store  attract- 
ing a  'Wolverine.  The  cache  was  constructed 
with  three  triangularly  placed  upright  poles  of 
length  a  little  more  than  man-height ;  the  tops 
of  those  uprights  carried  horizontal  poles,  which 
formed  a  V,  and  across  this  was  laid  a  platform 
of  branches,  upon  which  the  frozen  meat  was 
stored.  The  three  upright  poles  were  dressed 
free  of  bark,  and  thus  smoothed  to  prevent 
Wolverine  from  securing  claw-hold,  if  any 
should  endeavour  to  climb  to  the  platform  over- 
head ;  and  there,  on  the  snow  below  the  cache, 
the  traps  were  placed,  so  as  to  ensnare  any  such 
thief  at  his  foul  work — two  traps  required  to 
hold  this  gluttonous  animal,  which  has  a  tremen- 
dous reputation  among  the  Indians  for  strength 
and  capacity  to  break  free  after  being  caught. 

By  late  afternoon  we  had  reached  the  far  end 
of  Gullfoot's  trap-line,  and  there  encamped  for  a 
few  hours  to  rest  the  dogs  before  resuming  on 
our  way  back  to  the  cabin  on  a  wide  detour  so 
as  not  to  further  disturb  the  neighbourhood. 

About  6  p.m.  we  started  back  through  the 
bleak  silent  land  of  snow,  lit  on  the  way  by  the 
whiteness  underfoot  and  a  clear  sky  overhead, 
sparkling,  in  the  crystal-clear  atmosphere,  with 
more  stars  than  one  will  see  anywhere  else  in 
the  world,  unless  it  be  at  the  North  Pole.  Gull- 
foot  and  his  dogs  leading,  with  unerring  intui- 
tion finding  their  way  through  this  land  of  awful 
greatness  and  sameness  without  apparent  trouble, 
as  I  might  at  home  travel  a  road  familiar  to  me. 


RETURN  TO   INDIAN  CABIN  191 

At  midnight  we  reached  his  cabin. 

There  was  Nokum  sitting  by  the  fire,  and  the 
pot,  filled  with  Caribou  meat,  simmering  slowly, 
awaiting  our  return. 

Frozen  sticks  of  fish  were  brought  in  from  out- 
side, and  set  before  the  blaze  to  thaw  out  for 
food  for  the  tired  dogs  .  .  ,  the  teams  were 
unharnessed,  and  fed  .  .  .  and  their  snarling 
ceased  while  we  gathered  indoors  to  our  well- 
earned  repast  and  repose. 


CHAPTER  IX 

LEAVING   THE    LONE    LAND 

"  The  winter  !   the  brightness  that  blinds  you, 

The  white  land  locked  tight  as  a  drum, 
The  cold  fear  that  follows  and  finds  you, 

The  silence  that  bludgeons  you  dumb. 
The  snows  that  are  older  than  history, 

The  woods  where  the  weird  shadows  slant ; 
The  Stillness,  the  moonlight,  the  mystery — 

I've  bade  'em  good-bye — but  I  can't." 

ROBEBT    W.    SEBVICE.1 

IT  was  with  many  such  feelings  that  I  turned 
finally  into  the  South  to  depart  from  the  strange 
North  land  that  was  so  desperately  stern  in  its 
character  of  wild  overwhelming  vastness  and 
rigour  of  elements,  although  forever  alluringly 
attractive  withal. 

Unsettled  in  my  ambition  to  go  on  by  the  news 
of  my  country  involved  in  war — which  had, 
perchance,  come  to  me  through  a  trapper  about 
a  month  before — and  by  food  problems  con- 
fronting me  at  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Grounds — 
which  would  take  months,  if  not  longer,  to 
overcome — I  had,  on  November  29,  when  I 
and  my  two  Indian  companions  were  out  of  food 
and  losing  our  dogs  and  our  courage,  turned 
at  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Grounds,  and  regret- 
fully abandoned  the  fond  hope  that  I  had  enter- 

1  In  The  Songs  of  a  Sour-Dough,  by  Robert  W.  Service. 

192 


§  : 

PH    S 


a  -§ 

M       « 


pq     o 

%  * 

j  2 

a 

"^  3 

H     2 


DOGS   GIVE   OUT  193 

tained  of  spending  the  following  summer  right 
over  on  the  Arctic  coast. 

Two  entries  in  my  diary  at  this  date  refer  to 
the  condition  of  my  dogs  : 

"  November  28. — Snowstorm  all  day  drift- 
ing wickedly  on  a  strong  east-wind  blizzard. 
Onward  throughout  the  day,  crouching  like  dis- 
tressed animals,  we  fought  our  way  ahead  over 
shelterless  lakes.  Peesu,  one  of  my  dogs,  will 
not  eat  to-night,  so  utterly  done-up  is  the  poor 
brute.  He  lies  in  his  lair  in  the  snow,  unwilling 
even  to  raise  his  head.  I  finally  coaxed  him  to 
swallow  a  few  tit-bits  of  dried  meat  ere  turning 
in  to  sleep. 

"  November  30. — Off  on  the  trail  at  daylight. 
Meadowsteuce — my  lead- dog — dying,  and  had  to 
be  destroyed  before  leaving.  Peesu  somewhat 
recovered,  but  he,  and  Musquaw,  and  Whisky 
are  all  lame.  I  have  but  one  sound  dog.  Travel- 
ling in  yesterday's  blizzard  was  too  much  for 
them.  Some  of  the  Indians'  dogs  are  exhausted 
also." 

I  fancy  no  one  cares  to  give  up  and  admit  a 
total,  or  certain  amount  of,  defeat  in  the  midst 
of  furthering  a  big  enterprise  ;  it  is  indeed  heart- 
breaking to  do  so  :  and  yet  one  can  be  so  over- 
whelmed by  circumstances  that  it  becomes  foolish 
to  go  on,  and  wise  to  bow  to  the  grim  hand  of 
Fate. 

Though  there  were  difficulties  lying  before  me 
on  the  foodless,  snow-covered  wastes  of  the 
Barren  Grounds,  these  were  possible  to  surmount 
in  time,  but  I  could  in  no  way,  in  this  land  where 


194  LEAVING  THE   LONE   LAND 

one  has  plenty  of  opportunity  to  think,  and 
where  one's  thoughts  are  prone  to  probe  one's 
conscience,  justify  the  continuance  of  a  personal 
ambition  while  I  knew  my  country  had  need 
for  my  service,  and  kinsfolk  expected  my  home- 
coming to  rally  to  the  Flag. 

Therefore,  abandoning  further-north  travel  as 
I  have  said,  I  returned  reluctantly  to  my  base- 
cabin  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet  and  stayed  in 
that  neighbourhood  until  Christmas  in  the  forlorn 
hope  that  the  yearly  Christmas  packet,  due  from 
the  south  at  that  date,  might  contain  some  more 
favourable  news  of  the  War  ;  hoping  even  that 
the  astonishing  storm  of  arms  which  had  so 
quickly  risen,  had  as  quickly  subsided — perhaps 
even  ceased. 

Vain,  unnoticed  hope  ! — doomed  to  be  utterly 
wrecked  as  wave  upon  wave  grew  upon  the 
rising  tide  of  warfare,  and  engulfed  every  other 
thought  or  desire ;  its  vast  upheaval  searching 
even  to  the  far-distant  doorstep  of  my  log-cabin 
to  find  therein  a  victim. 

Christmas  came,  but  with  it  no  packet ;  strange, 
unheard  of  delinquency  that  bore  gravity  to  the 
hearts  of  the  trader  and  the  mission  priest  at 
the  Fort.  "  There  must  be  something  seriously 
wrong,"  they  thought,  and,  most  dreadful  thought 
of  all,  "  Could  war  possibly  be  going  ill  with  our 
country  ?  ' 

We  gathered  in  grave  consultation  hour  after 
hour,  and  our  one  topic  was  war ;  trapping,  fur- 
trading,  religion,  had  ruthlessly  gone  by  the 
board.  Hours  were  spent  in  conjecture ;  ideas 
constructed  from  our  slim  store  of  early  war 


START   ON   RETURN  JOURNEY  195 

news ;  hopes  and  forebodings  voiced  of  sheer 
imagination ;  but  from  all  it  was  not  in  our 
power  to  raise  one  single  conviction  of  comforting 
reliable  substance — we  were  beyond  the  voice 
of  our  kind  ;  conjecture  as  we  might,  there  could 
be  no  answer,  unless  the  vast  snow  waste  was 
pierced,  and  jingling,  joyful  sled-bells  should 
herald  the  packet  from  the  south. 

Each  day  we  watched  over  the  sea  of  lake  ice 
to  the  south,  each  night  sealed  down  the  envelope 
of  another  span  of  expectancy  and  disappoint- 
ment. 

From  the  23rd  to  the  27th  I  had  waited  at  the 
Fort ;  on  the  night  of  December  27,  which  was 
a  Sunday,  I  made  final  preparations  to  go — no 
hope  of  the  packet  remained,  no  gladsome  trans- 
formation to  justify  my  staying  on  and  a  renewal 
of  north  travel. 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  a  group  of  natives 
gathered  about  the  sleds  as  we  harnessed  up. 

J'Pierre  and  Mistewgoso  were  to  accompany 
me  to  Pelican  Narrows,  which  was  a  post  in 
touch  with  Cumberland  House  on  the  Sturgeon- 
weir  River  Route,  which,  in  turn,  was  not  very 
far  from  The  Pas,  which  terminated  the  newly 
projected  Hudson  Bay  Railway.  They  were  to 
drive  two  dog-sleds  loaded  with  specimens : 
chiefly  Caribou,  Barren-ground  Wolves,  and  Foxes, 
for  most  of  the  bird-skins  collected  had  previously 
been  sent  south  by  arrangement  with  the  Fur- 
trader. 

With  warm  hand-shake  I  bade  good-bye  to 
the  untrammelled,  upright  redskin  children  of 
the  wild  who  were  standing  almost  shyly  about 


196      LEAVING  THE  LONE  LAND 

on  the  snow  to  wish  me  bon  voyage  and  au  revoir, 
for  all  had  told  me  they  hoped  I  would  some  day 
come  again  amongst  them.  It  was  a  somewhat 
^touching  farewell  to  me,  for  it  bore  the  final 
goodwill  of  rude  men,  not  easy  of  approach,  who 
had  come  to  acknowledge  me  their  friend,  and 
theirs  was  friendship  I  valued.  Only  a  day  or 
two  before  the  priest  at  the  Fort  had  taken  upon 
himself  the  task  of  telling  me  of  the  feeling  of 
the  Indians  toward  the  white  stranger.  He  had 
summed  up  his  kindly  meant  remarks  with  :  "  If 
at  any  time  you  come  back  to  this  territory,  you 
will  have  many  friends  amor\g  the  natives  ready 
to  help  you  in  your  work,  and  glad  to  go  with  you 
on  the  trail,  for  they  feel  you  are  as  one  of  them, 
and  they  understand  and  trust  you — all  say  the 
same,  and  they  are  quick  to  distinguish."  Who 
would  not  feel,  who  had  lived  among  a  strange 
race,  touched  and  deeply  grateful  for  such  acknow- 
ledgment of  comradeship  ? 

Thus  warm  hand-shakes,  which  had  nothing 
of  conventionality  about  them,  sent  me  on  my 
way,  while  a  parting  volley  of  rifle  shots  followed 
from  the  shore  as  we  mushed  the  dogs  and  sped 
out  over  the  frozen  lake  on  the  trail  into  the 
South. 

As  we  drew  away  I  looked  back  on  that  diminu- 
tive settlement  of  cabins,  husbanded  together 
and  wholly  human  in  that  vastly  desolate  land, 
and  loving  the  strange  wild  North  and  its  freedom, 
and  its  people,  was  disposed  to  repeat :  "  I've 
bade  'em  good-bye — but  I  can't." 

Gewgewsh  and  Napisis,  who  had  also  harnessed 
their  dogs,  ran  with  us  till  we  camped  at  our  first 


FRIENDSHIP  OF  NATIVES  197 

"  fire,"  breaking  the  trail  thus  far,  and  making 
the  going  for  our  sleds  easier  ;  a  final  act  of  good- 
fellowship  arranged  by  the  people  at  the  Fort. 
Gewgewsh  had  trailed  with  me  to  the  edge  of  the 
Barren  Grounds  and  had  taken  upon  himself 
this  delicate  manner  of  showing  friendship  which 
is  typical  of  the  refinement  and  chivalry  of  the 
best  of  the  Indians,  who  are  sometimes,  at  heart, 
true  men. 

With  a  purpose  I  have  dwelt  at  some  length 
on  the  friendship  of  natives,  for  I  believe  that 
anyone  who  wishes  to  enjoy  travel  or  sport  far 
afield  in  any  land  should  always  try  to  accept 
the  native  as  a  well-meaning  character,  no 
matter  how  strange  their  lives  and  manners  may 
be  in  contrast  to  our  own  ;  they  are,  after  all,  but 
children  of  circumstance,  with  colour,  character, 
environment,  irrevocably  inherited.  Their  seem- 
ing stupidity,  or  sullen  nonchalance,  especially 
if  confused  by  overbearing  command  or  reproach, 
does  often,  it  seems  to  me,  come  about  through 
lack  of  full  understanding,  particularly  in  lan- 
guage, for  one  may  not  be  able,  in  their  native 
tongue,  to  say  explicitly  that  which  one  means, 
and  they,  on  their  part,  may  not  be  capable 
of  phrasing  their  own  language  to  convey  to  the 
stranger  addressed  the  full  significance  of  their 
reply. 

In  any  case,  if  early  contact  with  natives  prove 
difficult  and  trying,  it  is  well  not  to  be  disheartened 
and  suspicious  of  them,  but  to  persevere  while 
accepting  them  as  strange,  rude  people.  In  the 
end,  if  this  is  done,  there  will  result  at  least 
a  measure  of  mutual  understanding,  and  the 


198  LEAVING  THE   LONE   LAND 

stranger  will  find  in  the  native  many  good  points 
to  counterbalance  the  bad.  And  much  really 
good  service  can  thereby  be  gained,  to  further 
the  enjoyment  and  results  of  any  undertaking, 
for  undoubtedly  the  natives  can  give  one  valuable 
information  of  their  country,  which  is  open  as  a 
book  to  them,  if  they  are  anxious  to  be  friendly, 
and  to  serve. 

I  have  on  rare  occasions  heard  impatient  people 
express  the  opinion  that  natives  are  fools ;  and 
in  such  cases  I  have  been  prompted  to  think  that 
they  have  taken  the  natives,  for  the  most  part, 
in  the  wrong  way  ;  and  that  such  an  opinion  can 
seldom  be  altogether  justified.  It  is  surely  much 
more  fair  to  begin  with  the  idea  that  they  are  not 
fools,  but  just  simple  and  untutored  people,  and  I 
feel  sure  that  if  that  is  done  in  the  right  spirit 
the  result  in  the  end  will  bring  its  reward,  and 
at  the  same  time  full  appreciation  be  gained 
from  the  native  of  the  standard  the  true  white 
man  upholds  of  fair  play ;  which  is  also  the 
standard  he  will  attribute  to  our  country. 

Furthermore,  dealing  now  with  native  ability, 
as  far  as  the  North  American  Indian  is  con- 
cerned, few  white  men,  unless  they  are  bred  on  the 
edge  of  civilisation  or  long  accustomed  to  life 
beyond  the  frontiers,  in  my  humble  opinion, 
can  compare  with  the  red  man  in  travelling 
great  tracts  of  unmapped  territory  when  they 
enter  country  they  themselves  have  not  known 
before.  The  speed  at  which  they  can  cover 
rough  country,  and  their  instinctive  sense  of  true 
direction,  are  incomparable  and  little  short  of 
miraculous ;  and  often  leave  the  white  man's 


CREATURES   OF  THE  WILD  199 

prowess  far  in  rear.  Nor  is  this  logically  to  be 
wondered  at,  for  the  nomad  primitive  Indian 
is  born  and  brought  up  to  bush  travel;  it  is  to 
him  second  nature,  while  to  our  more  gently 
cultured  race  it  often  carries  the  experience  of  an 
unexpected  robust  education. 

Creatures  of  the  wild,  and  akin  to  animals  in 
their  adaptability  to  their  surroundings,  Indians 
have  from  their  beginning  been  a  race  of  able 
hunters  and  wanderers ;  lithe  of  sinew,  sound  of 
lung — enduring,  and,  most  highly  developed 
characteristic  of  all,  endowed  with  peculiar, 
unerring,  intuitive  scent  for  trail  or  direction. 

One  could  not  wish  for  better  henchmen  on  the 
trail,  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  is  difficult  to  enlist 
their  service,  particularly  if  the  journey  proposed 
is  to  be  a  long  one.  There  are  two  prominent 
reasons  why  the  red  man,  on  most  occasions, 
hesitates  to  accompany  a  white  stranger  on  a 
long  trail.  Firstly,  it  is  seldom  the  red  man's 
custom  to  leave  his  lodge  of  women  and  children 
for  any  lengthy  period,  for  they  are  largely 
dependent  on  him  for  food  and  management  of 
camp  life ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  man's 
presence  is  to  his  women-folk  a  safeguard  against 
danger  of  any  kind.  Secondly,  they  are  dubious 
that  the  white  man  may  possess  strange  ideas 
in  his  pursuit  of  his  objective,  and  that  he  may 
not  foresee  the  dangers  and  hardships  ahead  as 
clearly  as  they  do  in  their  fuller  experience ; 
which  prompts  the  fear  that  the  white  man 
might  lead  them  into  a  tight  corner  and  needless 
dangers,  against  which  they,  when  by  themselves, 
would  accurately  forecast  and  avoid.  All  of 


200  LEAVING   THE   LONE   LAND 

which  is  of  course  reasonable  from  the  Indian's 
point  of  view,  and  should  be  understood  and 
considered  if  one  meets  with  rebuffs  when  setting 
out  to  look  for  guides.  They  are,  however, 
individually  open  to  the  persuasion  of  a  stranger, 
and  it  is  nearly  always  possible  to  find  the  right 
man  in  the  end.  And  once  this  initial  step  is 
accomplished  toward  mutual  understanding, 
and  the  stranger  becomes  known  and  trusted  on  a 
territory,  his  difficulties  in  that  direction  largely 
cease.  .  .  . 

And  now,  to  return  from  this  brief  digression 
to  the  south-bound  sleds  that  had  left  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  we  were  soon  far  out  on  Reindeer  Lake 
beyond  all  sight  of  dwelling  or  fellow-mortal ; 
we  might  have  entered  a  land  of  the  dead,  so 
soon  had  all  vestige  of  that  tiny,  closely  infested 
settlement  been  overwhelmed  by  vast  surround- 
ings. 

This  journey  undertaken,  so  far  as  I  was  con- 
cerned, was  now  simply  a  question  of  straight 
trailing.  Four  hundred  miles  away,  following  a 
route  almost  due  south,  lay  the  Pas  and  the 
Hudson  Bay  Railway  :  for  that  point  I  was 
heading.  The  first  stage  on  the  way  was  Pelican 
Narrows ;  thus  far  were  J'Pierre  and  Mistewgoso 
to  transport  the  sled-loads  of  specimens,  and  thence 
return  on  their  back  trail. 

But  from  day  to  day  I  will  briefly  deal  with 
my  onward-hurrying  journey  to  the  south  over 
frozen  lakes  and  forests  lain  deep  with  snow. 

December  29. — Travelled  all  day  on  Reindeer 
Lake,  Frozen-over  ice  floes  were  very  bad  all  along 


FINGER  FROST-BITTEN  201 

the  north  shore  of  Porcupine  Point,  where  wind- 
pressure,  before  the  ice  was  very  thick,  had 
broken  through  the  weak  areas  and  piled  up 
angular  blocks  on  the  resisting  lake  surface. 
There,  accordingly,  progress  for  the  sleds  was  for 
some  considerable  distance  awkward  and  slow, 
and  some  time  was  lost. 

The  day  was  bitterly  cold,  so  cold  that  when 
I  took  a  photograph  in  an  exposed  position  on  the 
lake,  and  removed  my  right-hand  mitten  to  do 
so,  I  had  my  finger  frozen  in  but  a  brief  time. 
Application  of  snow  rubbed  on  vigorously  soon 
restored  circulation. 

Ten  Caribou  were  sighted  between  our  second 
fire  and  night  camp,  and  we  gave  chase  to 
secure  dog-food.  Both  Indians  (one  of  whom 
used  my  rifle)  brought  down  a  buck  apiece,  and 
at  long  range  I,  later,  dropped  a  third  from  the 
same  herd.  Each  then  hoisted  a  dead  animal 
on  the  top  of  the  sled-loads,  and  roped  them 
securely ;  and  when  this  was  done  we  resumed 
our  way  until  it  was  time  to  camp  for  the  night. 
At  camp  the  Caribou  were  off-loaded  and  cut  up, 
and  the  dogs  well  fed,  while  the  remainder, 
excepting  that  which  was  required  for  our  per- 
sonal needs,  was  cached  by  the  Indians  for  use  on 
their  return  journey. 

In  camp  we  slept  on  spruce  boughs  on  the  snow, 
snug  in  our  Caribou-skin  sleeping-bags  before  a 
great  log-fire,  as  was  ordinary  custom  on  the 
winter  trails. 

December  30. — Left  our  night  camp  about  an 
hour  before  daylight,  and  made  good  progress 
throughout  the  day.  There  had  been  no  snow- 


202  LEAVING   THE   LONE   LAND 

storm  so  far,  but  the  air  to-day  was  heavy,  and 
fog  hung  over  the  lake  in  the  distance,  while 
it  remained  bitingly  cold,  and  the  dogs,  as  usual, 
were  white  with  the  back-flung  frozen  moisture 
of  their  breathing. 

A  few  Caribou  were  sighted  far  off  at  dusk,  but 
we  did  not  attempt  to  follow  them.  At  no 
other  time  this  day  did  we  see  a  single  living 
creature  on  the  great  motionless  wastes  of  snow. 

December  31. — To-day  heavy  white  fog  en- 
wrapped Reindeer  Lake  until  late  afternoon,  and 
all  landmarks  were  hidden.  After  our  first  fire 
the  Indians  lost  their  true  direction  and  were  for 
a  time  at  a  loss.  Soon,  however,  they  doubled 
back  on  their  tracks,  and  eventually  picked  up  old 
signs  to  eastward. 

This  night  we  camped  at  a  Cree's  wigwam  on 
the  east  shore  of  Reindeer  Lake,  about  half  a 
day's  journey  from  the  south  end.  Here  we 
partook  of  the  Indian's  hospitality  within  the 
crowded  smoke-filled  confines  of  his  primitive 
dwelling.  Food  was  soon  forthcoming  from  the 
large  black  pot  which  hung  in  the  centre  of  the 
teepee  over  a  good  fire  from  which  the  wood-smoke 
leisurely  ascended,  to  finally  percolate  through  the 
opening  at  the  peak  overhead  or  sneak  through 
the  seams  of  the  small  door-flap.  When  food  was 
ready,  we  strangers  were  first  served,  with  vessels 
piled  to  mountainous  heights,  with  Caribou 
meat,  which  was  placed  on  the  ground  before  us 
by  the  women-folk.  Soon  the  two  men  of  the 
Cree  family  also  commenced  their  meal,  after 
withdrawing  a  little  apart ;  and  I  passed  on  to 
them  a  portion  of  my  sugar  store  and  bannock,  as 


ENTERTAINED   BY  CREE  INDIANS        203 

was  customary,  and  they  in  their  turn,  as  they 
invariably  do,  reserved  some  of  these  dearly 
loved  delicacies  for  their  women  and  children,  to 
whom  the  leavings  of  the  men's  repast  is  always 
finally  passed. 

The  full  meal  over,  pipes  were  brought  out  and 
filled  from  my  store  of  tobacco,  and  we  sat  and 
talked  in  low  Indian  voice  in  an  atmosphere  that 
was  thick,  and  hot,  and  stifling,  and  decidedly 
uncomfortable  to  a  European,  though  unremarked 
by  the  Indians,  to  whom  it  is  habitual — small 
wonder  they  breed  consumption !  The  meanwhile 
the  two  elderly  women  squatted  cross-legged  on 
the  floor  in  the  Indian  fashion  and  patiently 
laced  with  sinews  the  snow-shoes  they  were 
making,  much  as  a  white  woman  employs  herself 
with  knitting  ;  also  one  of  the  men  whittled  wood 
for  sled-pieces,  while  three  girls  amused  them- 
selves over  the  ornamentations  which  one  of 
them  was  sewing  on  a  pair  of  moccasins  for  a 
lover. 

Exchanging  stories  to  pass  the  evening,  the 
eldest  Indian  of  this  camp  told  the  following  : 
4  There  was  once  an  Indian  on  Jack  Fish  Lake 
who  successively  married  six  wives,  each  of  whom 
died  within  a  year  after  marriage.  When  the 
sixth  wife  died  he  despaired,  and  said  :  '  Is  there 
a  Great  Spirit  ?  '  Furthermore,  in  his  distrac- 
tion, he  told  his  kinsfolk  that  he  would  go  in  his 
canoe  down  the  Cochrane  River,  avoiding  not 
the  awful  rapids  down  which  no  man  had  been 
known  to  pass  ;  "for  if  there  is  a  Great  Spirit,  as 
people  say,  he  must  be  strong  enough  to  protect 
me  from  the  hungry  waters."  Launching  his 


204  LEAVING  THE   LONE]  LAND 

canoe,  caring  for  nothing  in  the  world,  he  set  off 
on  his  hazardous  journey.  Miraculously — so  the 
story  goes — he  made  the  voyage,  and  reached 
Reindeer  Lake  in  safety,  and  thereafter  firmly 
believed  that  there  was  a  Great  Spirit.  More- 
over, he  married  a  seventh  wife,  who  did  not  die 
as  the  others  had  done." 

January  1,  1915. — In  the  afternoon  we  reached 
the  Fur  Post  at  the  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake, 
after  having  been  almost  five  successive  days  in 
travelling  down  the  great  lake. 

At  the  Post  we  took  on  sufficient  frozen  fish 
to  feed  our  dogs  to  Pelican  Narrows  ;  then  pulled 
out  again  and  trailed  onward  until  an  hour  after 
dark,  when  we  camped  for  the  night  at  the  first 
rapid  on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  Reindeer 
River. 

January  2. — Travelled  hard  all  day  overland 
through  rough,  hilly  country  west  of  Reindeer 
River,  while  it  snowed  incessantly. 

Reindeer  River  course  is  not  used  as  a  winter 
route  by  the  Indians,  a  more  direct  and  un- 
twisting course  being  chosen  in  preference  to 
the  west  of  it. 

January  3. — In  the  dark  of  early  morning,  as 
was  customary,  we  moved  out  to  take  up  the 
trail  again.  When  day  broke  the  sky  was  dull 
and  despondently  grey,  but  the  snowstorm  had 
ceased.  The  trail  to-day  was  like  that  of  yester- 
day :  hard  and  difficult  when  traversing  the 
country  overland  between  the  lakes,  seven  of 
which  we  travelled  through  before  making  con- 
nection to  Reindeer  River,  which  we  reached 
about  noon. 


NEARING   PELICAN   NARROWS  205 

Toward  evening  we  passed  out  of  Reindeer 
River  on  to  the  Churchill  River,  and  thence 
through  an  overland  route  east  of  Frog  Portage, 
on  to  the  Lake  of  the  Woods  ;  where  we  camped 
for  the  night  within  one  day's  journey  of  Pelican 
Narrows. 

The  inland  country  which  we  passed  through 
to-day  was  irregular  and  mountainous,  necessi- 
tating steep  climbing  and  awkward  descents  for 
our  sleds.  Poplar  trees  are  now  encountered 
in  plenty,  which  trees  were  rarely  seen  in  Fort 
Du  Brochet  territory. 

January  4. — Pushing  onward,  we  kept  the 
sleds  going  steadly  all  day,  often  over  long  and 
bad  overland  bush-trails. 

This  day  was  dull  in  the  morning,  but  the  after- 
noon broke  particularly  fine ;  bright  sunshine 
shone  in  a  soft,  wistful  sky,  and  there  was  no 
bitter  wind ;  fresh-fallen  snow  lay  unruffled 
on  the  lakes,  white  as  the  finest  linen  ;  sunbeams 
glittered ;  and  to  add  to  this,  we  were  passing 
through  particularly  picturesque  country — narrow 
lakes  lying  peacefully  between  high,  forest- covered 
hills.  ' 

About  twelve  miles  north  of  Pelican  Narrows 
we  crossed  fresh  tracks  of  Woodland  Caribou, 
which  was  the  first  and  only  retreat  of  this  animal 
encountered  throughout  the  expedition. 

About  5  p.m.,  considerably  excited  at  the 
prospect  of  reaching  a  settlement,  we  neared 
Pelican  Narrows,  and  soon  afterwards  drew  up 
before  the  Hudson  Bay  trading  store,  to  be  made 
cordially  welcome  by  the  Factor. 

Before  reaching  the  Post,  J'Pierre  had  pointed 
15 


206  LEAVING   THE   LONE   LAND 

to  some  horse-tracks  in  the  snow ;  in  some 
excitement,  and  with  a  broad  smile,  saying : 
"  Not  dog,  not  deer — what  you  call  it  ?  '  Mean- 
ing that  here  was  something  closely  associated 
with  the  white  man,  and  therefore  drawing  my 
attention  to  that  which  he  thought  must  be  dear 
to  me.  At  Du  Brochet  horses  were  unknown, 
but  in  full  winter  they  travel  over  the  ice  to  the 
post  we  had  now  reached  with  substantial  loads 
of  such  stores  as  once  a  year  recuperate  the  Far 
North  Trading  Posts. 

It  is  230  miles  from  Fort  Du  Brochet  to  Pelican 
Narrows  on  the  map  ;  possibly  it  is  250  miles, 
or  more,  by  the  trail  we  followed.  We  had 
trailed  the  distance  in  one  straight  run  in  eight 
days,  thereby  averaging  thirty-one  miles  a  day  ; 
accomplishing  under  thirty  miles  a  day  when  the 
country  or  weather  conditions  were  distracting, 
and  over  thirty  miles  when  the  trail  was  favour- 
able. Such  steady  travelling,  with  formidable 
loads,  is  tribute  to  the  endurance  of  sled-dogs,  and 
to  Indian  skill  in  keeping,  unguided  by  map  or 
mechanical  record,  on  a  direct  course  to  a  far- 
off  destination. 

January  5  and  6  I  spent  at  Pelican  Nar- 
rows ;  resting  the  first  day,  and  delayed  on  the 
second  on  account  of  the  Indians  who  I  had 
arranged  were  to  go  with  me  to  transport  my 
specimens,  for  here  my  Du  Brochet  Indians  had 
completed  their  task,  and  would  return  home. 

At  Pelican  Narrows  I  found  letters  from  home 
— those  that  should  ordinarily  have  travelled 
by  the  Christmas  packet  to  Du  Brochet.  The 
delay  of  the  packet  was  here  solved  :  the  war 


INDIAN   GUIDES   GO   HOME  207 

had  dislocated  the  fur  trade,  and  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  were  not  anxious  to  continue  buying 
until  the  world-wide  confusion  in  commerce 
steadied,  and  pointed  to  some  definite  stability. 
Prices  of  furs  were  away  down,  which  the  Fur 
Posts  already  knew.  There  was  no  change  at 
Christmas,  and  thus  the  officials  in  authority 
were  waiting  and  hoping  for  change  in  the  pros- 
pects of  the  trade ;  if  that  came,  then  would 
they  send  forth  their  sled-packets  to  carry  news 
and  instructions  that  their  Posts  would  welcome. 

My  letters  were  enlightening  in  regard  to  the 
war,  and  brought  relief  in  that  all  was  well  at 
home  ;  but  they  left  me  more  restless  than  before 
to  hurry  on  to  the  south. 

At  daylight  on  the  6th  I  bade  good-bye  to 
J'Pierre  and  Mistewgoso,  and  watched  those 
sturdy  travellers  and  their  splendid  dogs  start 
back  north  on  their  long  trail  home.  Should  they 
go  back  as  quickly  as  they  came  (and  they  would 
probably  now  go  faster  without  loads)  they 
would  have  covered  five  hundred  miles  in  sixteen 
days,  with  but  one  day's  rest. 

John  and  Philip,  two  half-bred  Indians,  have 
here  taken  over  my  sled-loads  of  specimens,  and 
so  I  resume  my  journey,  to-morrow,  with  strangers. 

I  passed  the  day  very  agreeably  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  Factor  at  Pelican  Narrows,  and 
greatly  enjoyed  conversing  with  a  fellow-country- 
man. He  was  a  man  who  fully  came  up  to  one's 
pictured  ideal  of  the  fine  old  type  of  Hudson 
Bay  servant ;  strong  and  of  the  outdoors,  yet 
gentlemanly  without  the  telling  or  prompting  of 
neighbourly  society.  He  was  one  of  the  fine 


208  LEAVING  THE   LONE   LAND 

old  school  of  pioneers,  for  he  had  served  all  his 
life  with  the  Company,  as  had  his  father  before 
him.  He  had  had  one  break  in  his  life,  when  he 
had  as  a  boy  been  sent  to  Scotland  to  be  educated. 
A  point  which  proved  the  Factor's  worth  was  the 
fact  that  he  was  popular  among  the  Indians, 
not  only  at  his  own  Post,  but  far  out  on  the  trails  : 
indeed,  in  this  way  I  had  heard  of  him  long 
before  I  met  him.  And  Indians  are  sure  in  their 
judgment,  for  they  are  gifted  with  extraordinarily 
keen  penetration,  and  are,  moreover,  very  exact- 
ing critics. 

In  the  early  morning  of  January  7,  with  strange 
companions  and  fresh  dogs,  I  resumed  my  journey 
south  on  Heron  Lake. 

We  travelled  hard  all  day  and  camped  at  night 
at  a  settlement  of  Cree  Indians,  a  little  above 
Birch  Portage  on  the  Sturgeonweir  River.  Here, 
at  this  settlement,  one  could  surely  tell,  in  the 
manners  of  the  Indians,  of  nearer  approach  to 
civilisation,  for  in  small  but  essential  ways  they 
differed  from  the  natives  in  the  Far  North ;  their 
reserve  and  inherent  culture — if  I  may  use  the 
word — were  less. 

Especially  were  the  children  more  bold.  In 
the  Far  North  they  were  wont  to  retire,  at  a  white 
man's  approach,  to  hiding  within  their  teepees, 
like  frightened  rabbits  to  their  warrens ;  here, 
however,  they  ventured  outdoors  to  stand  in 
awed  groups  some  distance  in  the  background, 
gazing  in  wonderment,  at  the  white  man  and  his 
belongings,  the  while  their  eyes,  and  downcast 
glances  at  each  other,  plainly  told  their  full 
curiosity. 


APPROACHING   CIVILISATION  209 

January  8. — Two  hours  before  daylight  we  left 
the  Cree  settlement  and  travelled  overland  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  thus  avoiding  the  indirect 
course  of  the  Sturgeonweir  River,  which  we  did 
not  again  come  out  on,  until  late  afternoon, 
when  we  followed  its  course  until  after  dark, 
to  camp  finally  on  the  north  shore  of  Beaver 
Lake. 

I  might  here  note,  since  we  are  travelling  longer 
hours  to  accomplish  a  full  day's  run,  that  the 
dog-trains  of  the  Indians  now  with  me  are  a  very 
mixed  lot  in  breed,  and  of  diminutive  size ;  and 
far  below  the  standard  of  the  stalwart  Du  Brochet 
huskies.  It  is  but  another  omen  of  approaching 
civilisation  ;  and,  had  I  wanted  further  evidence, 
I  saw  to-day,  on  passing  some  cabins,  a  cow — 
which,  without  mistake,  brings  one  near  to  the  old 
familiar  world. 

January  9. — We  passed  through  Beaver  Lake 
when  setting  out  this  morning ;  a  lake  where 
gold  was  discovered  late  last  Fall,  but  which,  I 
learned  at  Pelican  Narrows,  had  not  so  far  realised 
the  great  things  that  were  hoped  for  by  those  who 
rushed  to  the  claims.  Nevertheless  shacks  had 
sprung  into  being,  and  those  and  other  signs  of 
human  occupation  invested  the  lake,  even  in  the 
dead  of  winter.  And  it  was  here  that  a  husky 
in  John's  train,  the  only  pure  looking  dog  in  the 
lot,  grew  wildly  excited  as  we  passed  a  horse-sled, 
and  strained  on  the  traces  to  give  chase,  apparently 
mistaking  the  horses  for  deer.  I  asked  John 
where  the  dog  had  come  from,  and  he  replied 
"  Patatawogan,"  a  post  on  the  Lower  Churchill 
River,  where  Caribou  frequent.  The  dog  was  a 


210  LEAVING   THE   LONE   LAND 

beast  of  the   wild  places  and  yet  untamed  to 
civilisation. 

Before  trailing  far  to-day,  Philip's  dogs  began 
to  give  out,  and  consequently  the  loads  had  to 
be  altered  and  his  sled  much  lightened. 

After  leaving  Beaver  Lake  we  crossed  over- 
land for  twenty  miles  through  forest  country  to 
Cumberland  Lake,  which  lake  we  crossed  before 
finally  drawing  up  at  Cumberland  House.  It 
was  then  so  far  into  the  night  that  all  the  inmates 
of  the  Fur  Post  were  in  bed,  but  necessity  of  food 
and  desire  for  shelter  forced  me  to  awake  the 
inmates,  who  in  due  course,  in  spite  of  my  rude 
intrusion,  bid  me  welcome  in  by  the  light  of 
flickering  candles. 

We  had  trailed  forty-five  miles  this  day  and, 
moreover,  had  run  incessantly  behind  the  sleds 
on  account  of  the  played-out  dogs — truly  we  were 
ready  for  food  and  rest. 

Here  ended,  in  memorable  fashion,  my  travels 
with  dogs,  350  miles  south  of  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
or  550  miles  south  of  the  edge  of  the  Barren 
Grounds. 

January  10. — I  remained  at  Cumberland  House 
during  the  day,  while  arrangements  were  made 
for  a  sled  drawn  by  horses  to  carry  myself  and 
my  specimens  to  the  Pas  on  the  morrow. 

Cumberland  House  had  lost  much  of  the  old 
character  of  a  Fur  Post,  and  had  the  appearance 
of  fast  becoming  a  white  man's  frontier  station  : 
a  change  no  doubt  aggravated  by  the  discovery 
of  Gold  at  Beaver  Lake,  and  the  consequent 
invasion  of  miners  and  prospectors  ;  while  also 
it  is  influenced  to  change  by  the  advent  of  the 


AMUSING   INCIDENTS  211 

new  Hudson  Bay  Railway  to  the  Pas,   which 
brings  a  measure  of  civilisation  in  proximity. 

Nevertheless  I  spent  a  very  pleasant  day  there, 
conversing  with  people  of  my  own  kind  in  my 
own  tongue  ;  even  though  I  missed  the  rarer 
atmosphere  of  the  wilds,  and  the  wild  man's  ways, 
that  appertain  in  the  Further  North. 

January  11. — The  remainder  of  my  journey 
south  was  of  little  account  and  may  be  briefly 
told. 

Leaving  Cumberland  House,  I  travelled  all  day 
by  horse-sled,  and  camped  for  the  night  in  the 
Saskatchewan  Valley  about  fifteen  miles  west  of 
the  Pas  ;  and  next  day  completed  the  distance 
to  the  railway  terminus. 

The  following  day  I  boarded  the  train  and, 
via  Prince  Albert,  reached  Regina,  my  destina- 
tion, at  midnight  on  January  14. 

One  or  two  peculiar  and  amusing  incidents 
occurred  in  those  first  days  of  my  return  to 
civilisation. 

I  had,  of  necessity,  no  European  clothing,  and 
was  therefore,  to  my  embarrassment,  clad  in  my 
rude  Eskimo  costume.  I  will  not  readily  forget 
the  steward  on  the  dining-car  on  the  train  when, 
in  this  garb,  I  first  entered  for  a  meal ;  nor  his 
subsequent  astonishment  when  I  requested  him 
to  bring  me  vegetables  only — first  one  course  ; 
then  another ;  and  yet  another,  while  his  face 
lengthened  in  perplexity ;  and  he  finally  told 
me  there  were  no  more  vegetables  on  the  train. 
I  probably  looked  a  grim  customer,  but  by  the 
time  he  had  finished  serving  me  I  felt  satisfied 
that  he  thought  I  was  mad.  Nor  did  he  look 


212  LEAVING  THE   LONE   LAND 

altogether  credulous  when  I  told  him  at  the 
end  of  the  meal  that  I  had  not  tasted  vegetables 
for  nine  months,  and  that  prolonged  fish  and  meat 
diet  had  given  me  a  tremendous  craving  for 
them ;  and  that  therefore  he  had  given  me  the 
finest  meal  I  had  ever  enjoyed. 

At  Prince  Albert  my  clothing  afforded  me 
further  embarrassment,  for  I  was  an  odd  figure 
among  the  city  population,  but  particularly  were 
the  dogs  in  the  streets  disconcerting,  for  they 
scented  the  strange  smell  of  the  Caribou  skins 
(for  they  retain  a  peculiar,  ineradicable  scent  of 
the  type  one  associates  with  Harris  tweed)  and 
would  circle  behind  me  to  follow  curiously,  and 
sometimes  to  bark  alarmingly.  At  times  as 
many  as  half  a  dozen  dogs  had  gathered 
about  me  in  this  way,  until  I  found  it  ex- 
pedient to  turn  down  a  side  street  and  chase 
them  away. 

Still  further,  my  home  and  worldly  belongings 
of  the  previous  year  were  at  Craven,  twenty 
miles  away  from  Regina,  so  when  I  reached  the 
latter  city,  I  had  to  spend  the  day  in  Arctic  garb. 
In  the  evening  I  dined  with  some  old  friends, 
who  were  amused  and  kind  enough  to  take  my 
Eskimo  clothing  in  good  part.  Moreover  there 
was  a  fancy-dress  Carnival  at  the  skating-rink 
that  night,  and  they  persisted  in  persuading  me 
to  accompany  them  there.  This,  in  the  end,  I 
consented  to  do,  and  on  reaching  the  rink  skated 
on  the  ice  until  the  costumes  were  judged,  where- 
upon I  was  awarded  the  first  prize — and  I  had 
not  changed  an  article  of  my  everyday  Far  North 
Caribou  clothing.  .  .  . 


END   OF  THE   LONG   TRAIL  213 

So  had  I  come  off  the  long  trail  to  my  own 
people.  Soon  was  I  speeding  east,  and  to  Eng- 
land, and  to  war,  but  carrying  memories  that 
nothing  could  erase  of  the  wonderful  country  I 
had  seen  in  a  virgin  land  of  the  Wild. 

The  years  of  war  have  passed  since  then,  yet 
so  great  is  the  attraction  of  that  vast  lone  land 
that  sleeps  in  the  lap  of  a  mighty  Destiny,  through 
endless  summers  of  lovely  garbing,  and  winters 
of  drear  snow  wastes,  that  I  still  can  repeat, 
"  I've  bade  '  it '  good-bye— but  I  can't." 

Some  day,  if  I  live,  I  will  go  back. 


CHAPTER    X 

ANIMALS  AND  BIRDS  COLLECTED  AND 
OBSERVED 

LIST  OF  MAMMALS,  AND  WHERE  COLLECTED 
AND  NOTED  DURING  THIS  EXPEDITION  OF  1914.1 

MOOSE. — Observed  Crooked  River,  May  13.  Two 
observed  above  Pelican  Rapids,  Churchill  River, 
June  2.  Had  fresh  meat  from  Indians  on 
Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  9. 
Many  tracks  of  moose  on  the  clean,  soft  river- 
bottom  in  neighbourhood  of  White  Sand  Rapid, 
Reindeer  River,  June  30.  Few  in  neighbourhood 
of  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake  ;  report  of  Solomon 
Cook,  July  1.  Willows  on  shores  of  lower 
reaches  of  the  Cochrane  River  much  eaten  by 
those  animals,  July  19.  Many  signs  of  moose  on 
inland  lake  shores  west  of  Cochrane  River, 
July  23.  Some  skins  of  both  adult  and  young 
moose  at  Fort  du  Brochet,  August  21.  Few 
tracks  in  the  snow  encountered  west  of  Reindeer 
River,  on  return  journey,  January  2,  1915. 

WOODLAND  CARIBOU. — In  two  instances  the 
tracks  of  this  species  were  seen  in  the  snow  about 
twelve  miles  north  of  Pelican  Narrows,  January  4, 
1915.  Some  nice  heads  of  this  species  in  Hudson 

1  See  also  Report  of  Chief  Game  Guardian,  1914,  pp.  33-4, 
Regina,  1915. 

214 


ANIMALS  215 

Bay     Factor's     cabin      at     Pelican     Narrows, 
January  15. 

BARREN-GROUND  CARIBOU. — See  Chapter  VI. 

MUSK-OX. — A  number  of  skins  were  seen  east 
of  White  Partridge  Lake,  twenty  miles  south  of 
the  Barren  Grounds,  November  26.  They  had 
been  taken  by  Eskimos  in  territory  further  north. 

WOODCHUCK. — One  trapped  Beaver  River, 
May  19. 

CHIPMUNK. — Observed  on  an  island  on  Sandy 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  11.  The  first 
specimen  seen  for  a  long  time ;  and  the  only 
one  noted  during  the  remainder  of  the  expedition. 

RED  SQUIRREL. — Heard  chattering  in  spruce 
forest  on  shores  of  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  14.  Observed  on 
shore  of  Rapid  River  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  24.  One  taken  on  shore  of  Sucker  Bay, 
south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  5.  Observed 
Cochrane  River,  July  24.  One  taken  north  of 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  October  31. 

MUSK-RAT.  —  Observed  on  Sandy  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  9,  and  in  marsh  in  neigh- 
bourhood of  Fort  Du  Brochet  in  August. 

CANADIAN  BEAVER. — Few  dams  observed  north 
of  Fort  Du  Brochet  in  September. 

PORCUPINE. — Observed  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  27.  Observed  swimming  in  water  Sandy 
Lake,  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  11.  Again 
observed  this  species  swimming  on  Island  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  26.  Later  the  animal 
climbed  a  poplar  tree. 

VARYING  HARE,  or  White  Rabbit. — One  male 
taken  inland  west  of  Du  Brochet  Lake  :  this  the 


216      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

first  "  rabbit  "  seen  since  leaving  Lake  lie  a  la 
Crosse.  Many  signs  of  "  rabbits  "  on  shores  of 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  2,  but  not  a  single 
one  seen.  One  shot  north  'of  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
October  1,  but  this  territory,  at  least  for  the 
present,  appears  almost  barren  of  this  species. 
It  is  highly  probable  that  rabbit  plague  has 
recently  devastated  the  territory  of  this  species, 
for  there  remain  everywhere  old  signs  of  great 
numbers. 

LYNX. — Observed  tracks  of  this  species  in  the 
snow  when  journeying  south,  which  tracks  were 
the  first  encountered.  No  tracks  or  pelts  noted 
in  the  Far  North — my  position,  when  tracks 
encountered,  was  in  very  broken,  rough  country 
west  of  Reindeer  River,  January  2,  1915. 

TIMBER  WOLF,  GREY  WOLF. — Few  stated  to  be 
in  neighbourhood  of  south  end  of  Reindeer 
Lake  by  Solomon  Cook,  half  breed  servant, 
July  1.  Found  den  at  edge  of  small  mossy 
swamp  in  large  muskeg,  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  3.  There  was  a  great  gathering  of  small 
twigs,  grass,  moss,  etc.,  at  entrance  to  den,  and 
inside  ;  tracks  of  wolf  in  many  places  on  the  lake 
shore,  which  was  not  far  distant.  Meat  cache 
plundered  near  Thanout-Tua  Lake,  latitude 
59-5°,  on  November  24,  by  Wolves,  Wolverine, 
and  Foxes,  whose  tracks  were  numerous  in  the 
snow.  Few  skins  seen  east  of  White  Partridge 
Lake,  twenty  miles  from  the  Barren  Grounds, 
November  26.  Two  specimens  taken  east  of 
the  north  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  December  22, 
in  same  locality  as  White  Wolves — all  being 
attracted  by  the  carcass  of  a  Caribou.  Two 


ANIMALS  217 

Wolves,  which  appeared  to  have  run  amok,  were 
shot  at  the  cabin  doors  of  Fort  Du  Brochet  on 
December  19,  23,  after  causing  much  fear  and 
excitement  among  the  natives.  I  examined 
the  second  animal  which  was  killed,  and  found 
it  mangy  and  lean  and  frothed  at  the  mouth  ; 
it  was  quite  evidently  insane.  One  blackish- 
brown  specimen  observed  on  Beaver  Lake, 
January  9,  1915. 

BARREN-GROUND  WOLF,  WHITE  WOLF. — Many 
skins  seen  in  trapper's  cabin  east  of  White 
Partridge  Lake,  twenty  miles  south  of  the  edge 
of  the  Barren  Grounds,  November  26.  Speci- 
mens, all  white  except  for  small  black  mark  on 
the  upper  side  of  the  tail  near  the  base,  were 
taken  east  of  the  north  end  of  Reindeer  Lake  on 
December  22  ;  they  were  male  and  female,  and 
are  now  mounted  in  the  Provincial  Museum, 
Regina,  Saskatchewan. 

COYOTE. — Single  one  observed  at  Big  River, 
May  10,  and  many  heard  howling  at  night.  None 
seen  .or  heard  at  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake.  Note 
on  Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River,  on  June  10, 
that  I  have  not  seen  or  heard  this  species  since 
leaving  lie  a  la  Crosse  Post.  Solomon  Cook, 
halfbreed  servant,  tells  me  there  are  none  in 
neighbourhood  of  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake. 

FOXES — RED,  CROSS,  BLACK. — Red  foxes  ob- 
served Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  8  ; 
Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  17.  One 
observed  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet  November  5 
(see  "  Timber  Wolf,"  November  24).  A  good  speci- 
men of  Cross  Fox  taken  near  Fort  Du  Brochet 
on  December  17.  One  Red  Fox  seen  feeding  at 


218       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

remains  of  Caribou  carcass,  Reindeer  Lake, 
December  20.  Measured  great  fox-jumps  in  the 
snow — they  were  9  ft.  9  in.  apart  from  fore- 
paws  to  fore-paws.  West  of  Reindeer  Lake, 
January  2,  1915. 

A  beautiful  male  Black  Fox  trapped  by 
Jaumeri  Merasty,  jet-black  except  for  few  silver 
hairs  over  rump,  and  white  tail-tip.  Taken 
south  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  December  9  :  even- 
tually purchased  by  Revillon  Brothers,  Factors, 
for  $200  =  £40.  (Low  price  affected  by  war.) 

ARCTIC  Fox,  WHITE  Fox. — Many  skins  were 
seen  east  of  White  Partridge  Lake,  twenty  miles 
south  of  the  Barren  Grounds,  November  26, 
and  this  species  was  known  to  be  common  in  the 
neighbourhood.  One  taken  north-east  of  Rein- 
deer Lake,  December  22. 

BLACK  BEAR. — Observed  below  Knee  Rapid, 
Churchill  River,  June  5. 

BROWN  BEAR. — Very  large  specimen  observed 
below  Key  Falls,  Churchill  River,  June  25. 

OTTER. — Observed  on  Crooked  Lake,  May  12. 
Skin  seen  in  trappei's  cabin  on  island  at  north 
end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  December  29. 

SKUNK. — One  trapped  on  Beaver  River, 
May  20. 

MINK. — Observed  carrying  an  eel  in  the  water, 
Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  26.  Two 
Mink  skins  seen  east  of  White  Partridge  Lake, 
near  the  edge  of  the  Barren  Grounds,  November 
26.  Tracks  in  snow  noted  near  Pelican  Narrows, 
January  4,  1915. 

WEASEL. — Secured  specimen  in  summer  fur  near 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  July  16.  Observed  Cochrane 


BIRDS  219 

River,  July  24.  One  taken  north  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  December  5. 

MARTEN. — Observed  on  Theitaga-Tua  (Lake) 
near  latitude  60°,  November  25.  Many  skins 
looked  over  east  of  White  Partridge  Lake,  twenty 
miles  south  of  the  Barren  Grounds,  but  no  Marten 
among  them,  November  26.  One  taken  north  of 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  November  29. 

WOLVERINE. — See  "  Timber  Wolf,"  Novem- 
ber 24.  Skins  seen  east  of  White  Partridge  Lake 
in  latitude  60*5°,  twenty  miles  south  of  the  edge 
of  the  Barren  Grounds,  November  26. 

LIST  OF  BIRDS,   AND  WHERE   COLLECTED   AND 
NOTED  DURING  THIS  EXPEDITION  OF  1914  1 

Note. — Where  name  of  species  is  not  within  square 
brackets,  specimens  have  been  carefully  examined 
and  identified  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Fleming,  C.M.Z.S., 
C.M.B.O.U.,  and  the  references  to  actual  skins, 
which  are  made  in  the  following  list,  are  those 
which  he  has  kindly  made  in  writing  a  paper  on 
the  collection. 

A  few  more  species  might  have  been  added  to 
the  list  of  those  observed,  but  their  identities 
were  not  positively  established  and  they  are 
omitted  for  the  present.  The  data  below  con- 
tains the  names  of  a  great  many  species,  but 
owing  to  limited  time,  and  to  the  virgin  nature  of 
the  North  country,  its  vast  extent,  and  the 
unlimited  cover  it  affords  to  bird  or  beast,  it  is 
not  possible  that  all  birds  common  to  the  territory 
have  yet  been  noted. 

1  See  also  Report  of  Chief  Game  Guardians,  1914,  pp.  33-4, 
37-9,  Regina,  1915. 


220      ANIMALS  AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Bird  life  was  found  most  plentiful  in  the  terri- 
tory west  of  Stanley  Post,  on  the  Churchill 
River,  and  south  to  the  point  of  starting  on  Lake 
lie  a  la  Crosse,  and  the  various  other  water- 
ways. Along  that  part  of  the  route  the  land 
and  vegetation  and  forest  were  of  a  richer,  more 
attractive  nature  than  further  north,  and  no 
doubt  that  accounted  for  the  greater  presence  of 
bird  life. 

In  travelling  through  the  somewhat  barren- 
looking  territory  of  the  Far  North,  birds,  with 
few  exceptions,  were  encountered  at  rarer  inter- 
vals and  in  fewer  numbers.  Ducks  were  notably 
very  scarce,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  the 
sparrows  were  numerous  and  had  their  first  en- 
countered breeding-grounds  north  of  latitude  58°. 

[HOLBCELL'S  GREBE  (Colymbus  holbcelli)]. — Set 
of  five  eggs  taken  on  Churchill  River,  June  6  ; 
bird  seen  at  close  range.  Nest  a  pile  of  rotten 
weeds,  in  open  water  among  scant  floating  raft 
of  dead  weeds.  Nest  elevated  two  or  three 
inches  above  water  limit,  but  the  whole  water- 
soaked.  Nest  close  to  marsh  shore  in  narrow 
inlet  in  Churchill  River,  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
below  mouth  of  Haultain  River. 

Observed  Beaver  River,  May  19,  20,  and  in 
marsh  above  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  8. 

[HORNED  GREBE  (Colymbus  auritus)]. — One 
pair  observed  on  inland  lake  east  shore  lie  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  May  30  ;  female  taken. 

[EARED  GREBE  (Colymbus  nigricollis  calif  or- 
nicus)]. — Observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12,  13  ; 
Beaver  River,  May  19. 


BIRDS  221 

LOON,  GREAT  NORTHERN  DIVER  (Gavia  im- 
mer). — An  adult  taken  on  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  8. 

Observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12.  A  few 
observed  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  10.  Two  observed  on  Black  Bear  Is1and 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  14.  Ob- 
served Otter  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  20. 
Two  observed  in  neighbourhood  of  the  mouth  of 
Reindeer  River,  June  27  ;  heard  calling  at  night 
now,  or  before  high  wind  rises  :  a  solitary  drawn- 
out  call,  cool  .  .  .  ou  .  .  . ;  a  most  striking  call 
of  the  northern  wilderness.  Many  observed  at 
south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  July  3,  4.  Ob- 
served Reindeer  Lake,  July  7,  noted  to  be  not 
so  numerous  on  July  9.  Few  observed  Rein- 
deer Lake,  July  10  :  when  in  flight  the  feet 
project  conspicuously  behind,  like  a  tail.  One 
observed  Reindeer  Lake,  July  13.  Observed 
Cochrane  River,  July  21.  One  male  taken  on  the 
Cochrane  River,  July  23,  length  30 '5  in ;  bones 
of  small  fish  in  stomach.  Observed  July  24, 
26,  27  on  Cochrane  River ;  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  5  ;  calling  before  onset  of  a  storm,  and 
flighting  restlessly.  Observed  north  end  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  August  10,  12  ;  Cochrane  River, 
on  return  journey,  August  14,  15. 

[RED-THROATED  LOON  (Gavia  stellata)]. — Ob- 
served for  first  time  in  Sucker  Bay,  south  end 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  6.  Observed  one  pair  on 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  8  :  birds  wild,  and  difficult 
to  get  within  gunshot.  One  observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  19.  Few  observed  on  inland  lakes 
west  of  Cochrane  River,  July  23,  24,  26.  One 
16 


222       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

observed  Cochrane  River,  July  27  :  these  birds 
seem  impossible  to  secure,  so  wild  are  they.  Four 
observed  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  7,  warned 
of  their  presence  by  their  cat-like  Awe-Awe 
call ;  a  cry  very  different  from  the  harsh,  rumbling 
quack  which  they  utter  when  flying.  Observed 
north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  10,  12  ; 
fairly  numerous  on  this  lake,  but  all  very  wary. 
Observed  on  Cochrane  River,  on  return  journey 
downstream,  August  13,  14,  15. 

[JAEGAR  ?  (Stercorarius  parasiticus  ?)]. — Single 
bird  observed  on  Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  12.  Specimen  dark  above,  white 
below  from  bill  down,  with  dark  ring  circling 
under  neck.  This  was  the  only  Jaegar  observed 
throughout  the  expedition. 

[CALIFORNIA  GULL  ?  (Larus  californicus  ?)]  .— 
Three  observed  over  the  Saskatchewan  River, 
Prince  Albert,  May  5.  One  taken  Shagwenaw 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  1.  Nesting  on 
island  on  Sandfly  Lake,  Churchill  River,  in  com- 
pany with  common  Terns,  but  the  nests  of  this 
species  were  all  together  among  tufts  of  grass 
growing  on  the  higher  parts  of  the  island.  Nests 
contained  generally  three  eggs,  one  contained 
four,  June  11.  Observed  Otter  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  20,  and  Key  Lake,  June  24.  Few 
observed  Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  26  ; 
Reindeer  Lake,  June  28.  Half  breed,  Solomon 
Cook,  tells  me  that  Indians  eat  Gulls,  particularly 
this  Gull ;  south  end  Reindeer  River,  July  1. 
Observed  at  south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  6  ; 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  7,  9.  Few  nests  found 
on  an  island  where  many  common  Terns  were 


BIRDS  223 

nesting,  one  nest  contained  young  newly  hatched, 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  12.  Observed  lower  reaches 
Cochrane  River,  July  18,  21 ;  west  of  Cochrane 
River,  July  24 ;  Cochrane  River,  July  25, 
26,  28,  30,  31  ;  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August 
1,  5,  6 ;  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August 
10 ;  Cochrane  River,  on  return  journey, 
August  14,  15. 

SHORT-BILLED  GULL  (Larus  brachyrhynchus). — 
An  adult  female  taken  on  Reindeer  Lake,  July  9, 
one  more  seen  on  same  date ;  this  is  very  far 
east  for  this  gull.  "  Iris  clear  blackish-giey  ; 
edge  of  eyelid  surrounding  eye  deep  orange- 
chrome  ;  corners  of  mouth  pure  orange-chrome  ; 
bill  evenly  coloured  dead  yellow ;  feet  pale 
whitish-yellow."  Dr.  Oberholser  regards  this 
gull  as  a  subspecies  of  Larus  canus.1 

RING-BILLED  GULL  (Larus  delawarensis). — A 
male  taken  on  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  23  ; 
adult  except  for  the  black  primaries  and  terminal 
band  of  the  tail ;  probably  a  non-breeding  bird. 
"  Bill  medium  dark  greenish-yellow,  with  strong 
black  ring  around  bill  a  short  distance  from  tip  ; 
eyelids,  and  corners  of  mouth,  deep  orange- 
chrome  ;  feet  pale  greenish-yellow."  Seventeen 
others  seen  with  this  bird. 

An  occasional  Ring-billed  Gull  observed  Ile- 
a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  25. 

BONAPARTE'S  GULL  (Larus  Philadelphia). — Four 
specimens,  an  adult  male  (thought  by  the  col- 
lector to  be  a  non-bi  ceding  bird),  taken  on  the 
Cochrane  River,  July  20.  "  Iris  dark ;  bill 
black  ;  legs  and  feet,  orange-chrome."  An  adult 

1  Auk,  xxxvi,  1919,  pp.  83-4. 


224      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

female,  taken  on  Cochrane  River,  July  25. 
"  Iris  dark  ;  eye-ring  dark  crimson  ;  bill  black  ; 
corners  of  mouth  reddish-flesh  colour ;  legs 
whitish  orange-chrome  ;  feet  more  rich  chrome." 
Two  juvenile  birds  taken  on  Lake  Du  Brochet, 
Cochrane  River,  August  1  :  one  of  these,  a 
female,  is  marked  "  Iris  dark ;  bill  medium  dull 
blackish  grey  ;  both  mandibles  dark  from  nostril 
out ;  legs,  feet,  and  webs  whitish  skin  colour  with 
pale  brown  joints."  This  species  is  believed  to 
breed  in  trees,  and  it  is  unfortunate  in  view  of  the 
young  birds  taken,  that  the  nesting  site  was  not 
found. 

One  pair  observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12  ; 
small  colony  seen  on  inland  lake  off  the  Beaver 
River,  May  19 ;  birds  commonly  perched  on 
limbs  of  dead  trees  on  the  edge  of  the  forest  which 
surrounded  the  lake  on  three  sides.  An  occasional 
bird  of  this  species  observed  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  25.  One  observed  Cochrane  River,  July  26  : 
three  observed  Cochrane  River,  July  27. 

SABINE'S  GULL  (Xema  sabini). — Three  seen, 
and  a  pair  of  adults  taken,  on  Sandy  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  9  ;  the  female  is  marked — 
"iris  black;  pure  red  eye-ring;  bill,  black  to 
one-eighth  beyond  nostril,  remainder  of  tip 
medium  dull  lemon-yellow  ;  feet  black." 

COMMON  TERN  (Sterna  hirundo). — A  juvenile 
female  with  pinions  not  fully  grown,  taken  on 
Cochrane  River,  August  14.  Seen  in  company 
with  parents  and  another  young  bird. 

Few  observed  Beaver  River,  May  21,  and  He 
a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  25.  Breeding  haunts 
observed  on  Pelican  Lake,  June  3,  4. 


BIRDS  225 

Breeding  on  small  low  stony  island  at  last 
bend  on  the  Churchill  River  above  Sandy  Lake, 
June  8.  Nest,  small  hollows  crowded  together  ; 
grass-lined  ;sometimes.  They  contained  gener- 
ally two  eggs  and  three  eggs  each,  a  few  held  a 
single  egg.  Estimated  there  were  some  three 
hundred  eggs  on  this  island.  Observed  Sandy 
Lake,  June  9.  Nesting  as  above  on  islands  on 
Sandfly  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  11. 

Nesting  on  two  small  islands  in  Island  Lake. 
Few  nests  contained  two  eggs,  but  the  general 
rule  was  three.  All  eggs  were  well  incubated, 
but  in  no  case  had  young  hatched  ;  Churchill 
River,  June  26.  Nesting  on  island  above  Kettle 
Falls,  Churchill  River,  June  27  ;  observed  Rein- 
deer River,  June  29  ;  Reindeer  Lake,  July  3. 
Visited  island  where  those  birds  were  nesting  ; 
no  young  hatched  out  yet,  south  end  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  4.  Observed  numerously  in  Sucker 
Bay,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  6.  Observed  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  7.  Visited  island  where  colony 
nesting,  and  there  saw  first  young  birds,  which 
were  just  hatching  out,  chipped  eggs  and  moist 
chicklets  being  numerous,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  12. 
Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  18,  24,  25,  26,  29, 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  1,  6 ;  Cochrane  River, 
on  return  journey,  August  15. 

[BLACK  TERN  (Hydrochelidon  nigra  surina- 
mensis)]. — Observed  Beaver  River,  May  19,  20. 
So  far  no  birds  of  this  species  observed  on  lie 
a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  25.  Numerous  on  inland 
lake  on  east  shore  at  north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse 
Lake,  May  30.  Colony  of  birds  found  just  com- 
mencing to  lay  in  same  locality,  May  31.  Single 


226       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

eggs  in  the  few  nests  that  contained  any.  Hun- 
dreds of  birds  nesting  on  the  water  surface  at  the 
outer  edge  of  the  weeds.  Breeding  haunts 
found  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  3. 
Observed  Knee  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  6  ; 
Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  9. 

[WHITE  PELICAN  (Pelicanus  erythrorhynchos)]. — 
None  seen  on  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  3,  4.  About  thirty  observed  at  rapids 
between  Sandfly  Lake  and  Black  Bear  Island 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  12. 

MERGANSER  (Mergus  americanus). — A  male 
in  "very  worn  immature  plumage  taken  below 
lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  1.  "  Iris  dark  ;  bill  medium  deep  crimson, 
crown  of  upper  mandible  black ;  feet  bright 
orange-chrome. 

Observed  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  4 ;  Trout  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  15  ; 
Reindeer  Lake,  June  28  ;  numbers  at  south  end 
of  Reindeer  Lake,  July  3.  Few  observed 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  10. 

RED-BREASTED  MERGANSER  (Mergus  serra- 
tor). — An  adult  female  taken  on  He  a  la  Crosse, 
May  23.  "  Iris  clear  deep  umber  brown  ;  bill 
all  red  except  along  crown  of  upper  mandible, 
which  is  dark  horn-brown ;  legs  and  feet  rich 
reddish  orange-chrome." 

A  downy  young  female,  length  14*75  in.,  taken 
on  the  Cochrane  River,  August  15.  "  Iris  pale 
clear  brownish  sage-green ;  bill  blackish  brown 
over  crown  of  upper  mandible  for  entire  length 
except  tip,  sides  of  upper  mandible  and  entire 
lower  mandible  pale  dull  buffish  yellow;  legs 


BIRDS  227 

and  feet  dull  brownish  grey;  neck  dull  umber 
brown.  Bird  in  company  with  mother  and  about 
a  dozen  young." 

Set  of  twelve  eggs  taken  on  rocky  island  in 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  12.  "  Nest  found  on  ground 
concealed  beneath  ledge  of  rock,  eggs  almost  hard 
on  rock,  and  rim  of  nest  composed  of  small 
leaves  and  twigs  profusely  mixed  with  blackish- 
grey  down." 

Two  pairs  observed  south  end  of  He  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  May  22.  Large  numbers  observed 
on  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  14,  and  above  Trout  Lake  on  the  same 
river  on  June  15.  One  observed  Otter  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  20.  Few  observed  at 
rapid  above  Key  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  24. 
Numbers  at  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  July 
3.  4.  Numerous  in  Sucker  Bay,  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  6.  Observed  Reindeer  Lake,  July  7,  9. 
Numerous  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10.  Observed 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  12.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  24,  28,  29,  30,  31  ;  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  1,  2,  6 ;  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  12. 

[MALLARD  (Anas  platyrhynchos)]. — Observed 
Polwarth,  Sask.,  May  6 ;  Big  River,  May  9  ; 
Crooked  Lake,  May  12.  Nest  containing  three  eggs 
found  on  May  13.  Observed  Beaver  River,  May 
19,  21.  Few  observed  on  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  25.  Five  observed  inland  from  He  a  la  Crosse 
Lake,  May  30.  Numerous  on  Shagwenaw  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  1.  Nest  containing  nine 
eggs  found  in  dry  grass  marsh  ;  nest  composed  of 
blackish  down  and  a  few  dry  pale-yellow  grasses, 


228       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

situated  beneath  a  tussock  of  grass,  Churchill 
River,  June  2.  Numerous  Pelican  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  2,4;  observed  below  mouth 
of  Haultain  River  on  Churchill  River,  June  6. 

Found  nest  with  eight  eggs  in  damp  dead  weeds 
at  the  very  edge  of  marsh  shore ;  site  more  in 
swamp  than  is  usual.  Mallard  very  numerous 
in  marsh  above  Sandy  Lake  on  Churchill  River, 
June  8.  Observed  on  Sandy  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  9.  Few  observed  on  Black  Bear 
Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  13. 
Few  observed  Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June 
17.  Duck,  on  this  lake,  very  scarce.  Duck 
most  plentiful,  so  far,  in  neighbourhood  of  Pelican 
Lake.  One  or  two  observed  on  Island  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  26  ;  still  remark  that  ducks 
are  very  scarce. 

On  island  above  Kettle  Falls  found  three 
mallards'  nests  containing  respectively  nine — 
nine — and  eight  eggs,  all  in  early  stage  of  in- 
cubation, Churchill  River,  June  27. 

One  or  two  observed  Reindeer  River,  June 
28,  30  ;  south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4. 

Observed  female  with  nine  young  in  water, 
but  this  species  appears  very  scarce  here,  as  those 
are  the  only  ones  seen  during  the  last  few  days, 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  8.  Female  observed  on 
lower  reaches  of  the  Cochrane  River,  July  18. 
Female  with  few  young  observed  Cochrane  River, 
July  21  ;  another  with  young  on  July  23.  Two 
observed,  Cochrane  River,  July  27.  Observed 
with  young  almost  fully  grown,  Cochrane  River, 
July  28.  One  observed  north  end  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  10.  Observed  family  of  full-grown 


BIRDS  229 

young  chased  by  falcon-like  hawk,  which  I  was 
unable  to  positively  identify,  Cochrane  River, 
lower  reaches,  August  15.  Hunted  duck  for 
food  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet  on  September 
23,  24.  Noted  duck  very  scarce.  After  searching 
far  for  them  during  two  days,  secured  six  mallard, 
one  wigeon,  one  Golden-eye,  and  only  saw  two 
others.  Searched  for  duck  north  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet  on  October  6,  but  saw  none.  Have  con- 
cluded during  last  few  days  that  all  duck  species 
from  the  Far  North  have  now  migrated  south. 
First  heavy  fall  of  snow  on  October  3,  again  on 
October  17. 

[AMERICAN  WIGEON  (Mareca  americana)].— 
Observed  at  Big  River,  May  9 ;  above  Sandy 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  8,  and  on 
Sandy  Lake,  June  9.  One  taken  north  of  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  September  24,  and  observed  in  same 
locality  on  September  26. 

GREEN- WINGED  TEAL  (Nettion  carolinense). — 
A  pair  taken  on  the  Beaver  River,  May  18. 

Fairly  common  on  Beaver  River,  May  21.  One 
pair  observed  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  25  ; 
numerous  on  Shagwenaw  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  1,  observed  on  marsh  above  Sandy  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  8. 

[BLUE- WINGED  TEAL  (Querguedula  discors)]. — 
Observed  Big  River,  May  9  ;  Beaver  River,  May 
19,  21.  Drake  #/w£-winged  Teal  shows  large 
cobalt-blue  mark  on  shoulder  when  flying  ;  drake 
Green-winged  Teal  shows  red  head  prominently. 
One  pair  observed  near  mouth  of  Haultain  River 
on  the  Churchill  River,  June  6.  Few  observed 
in  marsh  above  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill 


230       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

River,  June  9.  One  pair  observed  below  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  Cochrane  River,  July  31. 

[SHOVELLER  (Spatula  clyplata)]. — Pair  observed 
Crooked  River,  May  15.  Numerous  Shagwenaw 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  1,  and  Pelican  Lake, 
June  3.  Observed  on  Knee  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  6. 

[PINTAIL  (Dafila  acuta)]. — Observed  Big  River, 
May  9 ;  Beaver  River,  May  19.  One  pair 
observed  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  25.  Numer- 
ous Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  3.  Ob- 
served adult  with  brood  of  young  about  eight 
days  old  on  island  above  Kettle  Falls,  Churchill 
River,  June  27.  Caught  two  of  the  young.  One 
adult  and  three  full-grown  young  taken  for  food 
on  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  6 ;  eighteen  in 
flock  altogether. 

[SCAUP  DUCK  (Marila  marila)]. — Observed  Big 
River,  May  9  ;  Crooked  Lake,  May  12.  Beaver 
River,  May  19,  21.  Three  pair  observed  on  in- 
land lake  on  east  shore  at  north  end  of  lie  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  May  30. 

[GOLDEN-EYE  (Clangula  dangula  americana)]. — 
Observed  Big  River,  May  9.  Very  numerous 
Crooked  Lake,  May  12,  13,  and  Beaver  River, 
May  19.  Numerous,  in  flocks,  Shagwenaw  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  1.  Observed  below  Knee 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  6.  Observed  number 
of  duck  on  Cochrane  River,  August  13,  which 
I  think  were  this  species  in  winter  plumage ; 
remarked  that  birds  flocked  and  probably- begin- 
ning to  move  slowly  south  in  migration.  One 
taken  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  September  24. 

[WHITE-WINGED  SCOTER  (Oidemia  deglandi)]. — 


BIRDS  231 

Observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  13.  Single  bird 
observed  on  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  14.  Three  observed  on 
Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  17.  One  pair 
observed  with  small  flock  of  Surf  Scoters  on  lake 
expansion  on  Reindeer  River,  June  30.  Three 
observed  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10. 

SURF  SCOTER  (Oidemia  perspicillata). — Three 
specimens,  one  adult  male  taken  on  lie  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  May  31  ;  two  adult  females  taken 
on  the  Reindeer  River,  June  30.  "  Flock  of 
about  twelve  Scoters  together,  all  in  pairs." 

One  specimen  observed  on  inland  lake  on 
east  shore  at  north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  31.  One  pair  observed  in  false  bay  above 
Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  11. 
Those  birds  appear  to  prefer  dead-water  lakes 
(lakes  without  current).  Four  specimens  observed 
on  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  14.  Six  birds  observed  below  Frog 
Portage  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  27.  Flock 
observed  on  inland  lake  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet 
as  late  as  September  30,  passing  in  migration ; 
they  remained  only  one  day  on  this  lake, 
which  was  under  constant  observation  at  the 
time. 

[SNOW  GOOSE  (Chen  hyperboreus  hyperboreus)]. 
— Flock  passed  westward  over  Ladder  Lake,  Big 
River,  May  9,  in  spring  migration. 

[CANADA  GOOSE  (Branta  canadensis  canadensis)]. 
— Observed  one  pair  south  end  lie  a  la  Crosse 
Lake,  May  24.  One  adult  male  taken  on  the 
Cochrane  River,  July  27.  Stomach  contained 
grasses  and  grit.  Female  with  brood  of  young 


232       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

also  seen  in  marsh  at  river-bend.  Those  were  the 
only  geese  found  in  their  breeding  haunts. 

[BITTERN  (Botaurus  lentiginosus)]. — Observed  at 
Polwarth,  Sask.,  May  6  ;  Beaver  River,  in  marshy 
lower  reaches,  May  20.  One  observed  below  the 
mouth  of  Haultain  River  on  the  Churchill  River 
on  June  6.  One  observed  at  the  mouth  of  Rein- 
deer River,  June  27.  Two  observed  Reindeer 
River,  June  29. 

[SANDHILL  CRANE?  (Gh'us  mificana)]. — Flock 
observed  settled  on  prairie  grass,  Craven,  Sask., 
May  4,  north-bound  migration. 

Nest  containing  two  eggs  found  on  inland 
lake  on  east  shore  at  north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse 
Lake,  May  30.  Only  one  pair  breeding  ;  locality 
completely  isolated  from  mankind.  On  no  other 
occasion  were  the  breeding  haunts  of  this  species 
found.  The  eggs  were  medium  sienna-buffish 
and  had  dark  spots  and  splashes  of  darker  colour. 
(See  further  description  in  Chapter  III.) 

Observed  flock  of  this  species  passing  south 
over  mouth  of  Cochrane  River,  September  23. 
Birds  giving  voice  to  their  unmistakable  call  as 
they  planed  overhead  in  easy  view  of  my  field- 
glasses. 

[SoRA  RAIL  (Porzana  Carolina)]. — Observed  four 
in  marsh  off  Beaver  River,  May  20.  Observed  on 
inland  lake  on  east  shore  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  30.  Nest  with  two  eggs  found  in  reeds  in 
locality  above  noted,  May  31. 

[CooT  (Fulica  americana)]. — Observed  Beaver 
River,  May  19.  A  number  observed  in  marshes 
above  Sandy  Lake  on  Churchill  River,  June  8 — 
the  first  seen  for  some  time. 


BIRDS  233 

RED  PHALAROPE  (Phalaropus  fulicarius). — A 
male  taken  on  Sandfly  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  11.  On  no  other  occasion  was  this  species 
observed  throughout  the  expedition. 

WILSON'S  PHALAROPE  (Steganopus  tricolor). — 
Two  specimens :  an  adult  female  taken  on  Crooked 
Lake,  May  13.  "  Bird  alone,  resting  as  if  tired 
out,  perhaps  migrating."  The  other  an  adult 
male  taken  on  the  Beaver  River,  May  19.  "  Male 
and  female  together  on  floating  weeds,  on  edge 
of  small  lake  off  Beaver  River ;  birds  in  company 
with  pair  of  Dowitchers,  and  a  lesser  Yellow- 
leg." 

Six  pairs  observed  on  inland  lake  on  east  shore, 
five  miles  from  north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake  ; 
all  birds  breeding  on  south  side  of  inland  lake  on 
limited  area  of  swampy,  mossy  ground,  but  failed 
to  find  eggs,  though  birds  flew  and  fluttered 
closely  in  great  distress,  May  30. 

WILSON'S  SNIPE  (Gallinago  delicata).  —  Nest 
taken  near  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  May  31.  "Four 
eggs,  slightly  incubated,  nest  of  damp  grasses  on 
ground  among  low  snowberry  bushes.  Flushed 
bird  off  nest  three  or  four  times  to-day  and 
yesterday." 

Three  observed,  May  30.  Few  observed  over 
marsh  drumming  high  in  the  air  near  mouth  of 
Haultain  River  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  6  ; 
the  first  birds  seen  drumming.  Two  observed, 
flushed  from  marsh  inland  from  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  9  ;  noted  that  this  species  had 
not  previously  been  seen  for  a  long  time. 

DOWITCHER  (Macror/mrap/ms  griseus  griseus). — 
Five  specimens  :  a  pair  taken  on  Crooked  Lake, 


234       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

May  13,  have  been  compared  with  a  series  of 
this  form  and  of  M.  g.  scolopaceus.  Another  pair 
taken  on  the  Beaver  River,  May  19,  and  a  male 
on  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  on  May  23. 

WHITE-HUMPED  SANDPIPER  (Pisobia  fuscicollis). 
—A  female  taken  on  Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  10,  and  a  male  taken  on  Sandfly  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  11. 

BAIED'S  SANDPIPER  (Pisobia  bairdi). — Four 
specimens  :  a  female  taken  near  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
Reindeer  Lake,  on  July  17  ;  and  a  male  and  two 
females  taken  on  the  Cochrane  River,  July  23. 

Two  observed  below  Du  Brochet  Lake,  July  30. 

LEAST  SANDPIPER  (Pisobia  minutilla). — Four 
specimens  :  a  female,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  13. 
"  Bird  alone  breeding  on  island,  apparently  had 
nest."  A  female  taken  July  29,  and  a  pair 
taken  July  30  on  the  Cochrane  River. 

Two  others  observed  on  the  Cochrane  River, 
July  28. 

RED-BACKED  SANDPIPER  (Pelidna  alpina  sak- 
halina). — A  female,  Churchill  River,  June  8, 
above  Sandy  Lake,  "  shot  on  small  stony  island, 
in  company  with  seven  semipalmated  Sandpipers." 

SEMIPALMATED' SANDPIPER  (Ereunetes  pusillus). 
— Two  pairs  taken  on  the  Churchill  River  below 
Pelican  Rapids,  June  2,  from  a  flock. 

Observed  on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  9,  10. 

[LESSER  YELLOWLEGS  (Totanus  flavipes)]. — Few 
observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12.  Observed 
Beaver  River,  May  9.  Numerous  on  inland  lake 
on  east  shore  at  north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  30.  Observed  on  lower  reaches  of  the 


BIRDS  235 

Cochrane  River,  July  18  :  not  seen  for  a  long  time. 
Bird  calling,  in  alarm  for  nest  or  young,  from  the 
very  top  of  a  spruce  tree,  which  seemed  a  ridicu- 
lous perch  for  a  shore  bird — yet  it  is  one  this 
species  quite  often  chooses.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  20.  One  taken  Cochrane  River, 
July  26.  Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  28  ; 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  2. 

SANDERLING  (Calidris  leucophcea). — Three  speci- 
mens taken  from  a  flock  of  four,  Cochrane  River, 
July  21,  "  probably  non-breeding  birds." 

SOLITARY  SANDPIPER  (Helodromus  solitarius 
solitarius). — "  A  female  with  large  egg  in  oviduct," 
Beaver  River,  May  18.  Observed  Cochrane  River, 
July  20. 

SPOTTED  SANDPIPER  (Actitis  macularia). — Two 
adults  :  a  male,  Crooked  River,  May  15,  and  a 
female,  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  May  23.  Two  sets 
of  four  eggs  each,  taken  on  Snake  Lake  and  above 
Black  Bear  Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June 
10, 13,  also  a  downy  young  taken  on  the  Cochrane 
River,  July  29. 

Observed  Shagwenaw  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  1  ;  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  9, 10  ;  Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  12.  Trout  Lake  Churchill  River,  June  15. 
Have  come  to  know  this  species  as  the  most 
common  shore  bird  in  the  territory.  Saw  one  of 
this  species  being  chased  by  a  Red-tailed  Hawk, 
Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  26.  Found 
nest  with  four  eggs  on  island  above  Kettle  Falls, 
Churchill  River,  June  27.  Observed  Reindeer 
River,  June  29;  south  end  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  4.  Noted  on  Reindeer  Lake  on  July  9, 


236       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

and  remark  that  very  few  seen  at  that  date,  though 
previously  quite  common.  One  observed  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  July  17  ;  nest  containing  four  eggs 
found  on  dry,  moss-covered  hillside,  near  the  foot 
of  a  pine  tree.  Observed  Cochrane  River,  July 
19,  26.  Observed  below  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
Cochrane  River,  July  30. 

AMERICAN  GOLDEN  PLOVER  (Charadrius  domi- 
nicus  dominicus). — An  adult  female  taken  when 
in  company  with  Kildeer  Plover  at  the  mouth  of 
Mudjatick  River  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  2. 
44  Eye,  bill,  and  feet  black." 

KILDEER  (Oxeyechus  vociferus). — Seen  in  com- 
pany with  the  Golden  Plover,  but  no  specimens 
taken.  Observed  at  Polwarth,  Sask.,  May  6  ; 
Big  River,  May  7,  9. 

SEMIPALMATED  Pi.oYEn(JEgealitis  semipalmata). 

—Four  specimens  :  a  male,  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 

May  23  ;    a  pair  Cochrane  River,  July  23 ;   and 

a  female  taken  29  July,  also  on  the  Cochrane 

River. 

RUDDY  TURNSTONE  (Arenaria  interpres  mori- 
nella). — Four,  specimens  :  a  female  found  alone 
on  Lake  He  a  la  Crosse,  on  May  22  ;  a  male  also 
found  alone  on  the  same  lake  on  the  23rd ;  and 
two  females  taken  from  large  flock  on  June  9 
on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River. 

Observed  on  Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  12. 

HUDSONIAN  SPRUCE  PARTRIDGE  (Canachites 
canadensis  canadensis). — Eight  specimens  :  six 
adults,  and  two  downy  young.  A  pair  with 
nest  and  eggs  taken  at  Lake  He  a  la  Crosse,  May 
25  ;  male  not  preserved.  "  Eggs  six  in  number, 


BIRDS  237 

fresh  ;  nest  on  ground  close  in  at  foot  of  alder 
bush  ;  site  dry  open  poplar  knoll,  surrounded  by 
dense  spruce  and  tamarack  swamp  ;  nest  of  dry 
leaves,  same  as  carpet  of  surrounding  ground, 
a  few  feathers  lining  nest."  A  male  same  loca- 
lity, May  29.  A  female  in  moult,  and  a  downy 
young,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10 ;  the  female  has 
pin  feathers  on  the  sides  of  the  head,  and  new  tail 
feathers  are  appearing.  A  downy  young,  Coch- 
rane  River,  July  20;  was  with  other  young  and 
female  parent  when  taken.  A  male  taken, 
August  3 ;  a  female,  August  4  ;  and  a  male, 
August  7 — all  adults,  Lake  Du  Brochet.  The 
young  could  fly,  though  the  first  was  only  five 
inches  in  length. 

Male  observed  below  Frog  Portage,  Churchill 
River,  July  27.  Two  shot  north  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  October  9,  and  one  on  October  13, 
16.  Four  shot  near  mouth  of  Cochrane  River, 
October  19.  One  shot,  October  30,  in  same 
locality.  Note  that  there  are  a  few  north  of 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  November  7.  One  taken  in 
same  locality  on  December  10 ;  this  species 
evidently  winter  as  far  north  as  this  point,  but 
none  seen  any  further  north  than  latitude  58*5°. 
Two  taken  Fort  Du  Brochet,  December  14. 
Flushed  one  at  night  on  December  16  and  noted 
bird  had  apparently  no  trouble  to  see  in  the  dark. 

[RUFFED  GROUSE  (Bonasa  umbellus  togata?)}. — 
Observed  Crooked  River,  May  13 ;  secured 
very  reddish -brown  female  at  head  of  Reindeer 
River,  July  14.  One  taken  north  of  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  October  1.  This  species  appears  rare 
in  the  Far  North. 
17 


238      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

WILLOW  PTARMIGAN  (Lagopus  lagopus  lagopus). 
— One  specimen,  Fort  Du  Brochet,  Reindeer  Lake, 
November  4.  "  Same  day  first  Barren-ground 
Caribou  of  the  season  were  shot." 

Natives  at  Fort  Du  Brochet  say  that  this  species 
arrives  there  about  mid-October.  "  Diary  of 
halfbreed,  Philip  Merasty,  records :  '  White  Par- 
tridge seen  at  Fort  on  October  6,  1913,  snow 
having  fallen  ere  that  date.' '  Four  specimens 
observed  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  October  27 ; 
the  first  noted  to  arrive  this  winter.  An  Indian 
reported  two  seen  on  October  30. 

Note  on  November  7  that  this  species  is  now 
common  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet ;  birds  rise 
with  a  startling  flutter  of  wings  out  of  the  snow 
at  the  foot  of  the  Scrub  Pines.  This  species 
plentiful  in  neighbourhood  of  Thanout-Tua  (Lake), 
Thlewiaza  Or  River,  November  23 ;  noted  that 
those  birds  sometimes  call  exactly  like  Red 
Grouse  when  startled  to  flight. 

There  is  a  lake  named  "  White  Partridge 
Lake,"  or  Kasba  Lake,  twenty  miles  south  of  the 
Barren  Grounds,  near  neighbourhood  where  this 
species  noted  as  plentiful. 

Two  observed  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
December  12,  and  large  pack  seen  on  December  13. 
Observed  December  15.  On  December  18, 
after  searching  three  days  without  observing 
single  bird  of  this  species,  I  note  :  It  is  strange 
how  those  birds  appear  to  come  and  go ;  it  may 
be  because  the  food-supply  of  willow-shoots,  and 
Labrador  Tea-buds,  on  which  they  now  feed,  is 
so  scant  above  the  snow  that  they  are  soon  picked 
bare,  and  then  the  birds  move  on  to  fresh  feeding- 


BIRDS  239 

ground.     One   taken   on   Reindeer  Lake   thirty 
miles  south  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  December  30. 

[MARSH  HAWK  (Circus  hudsonicus)]. — Observed 
Beaver  River,  May  20.  First  one  seen  since 
leaving  the  prairies.  Apparently  not  numerous 
in  this  territory.  One  observed  Sandfly  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  11.  One  observed  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  Cochrane  River,  August  11  ; 
a  female  or  young  bird  in  brown  plumage.  This 
was  the  only  specimen  of  this  species  seen  to  date 
in  the  Far  North.  Two  young  birds  observed 
Cochrane  River,  on  return  journey,  August  14. 

SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK  (Accipiter  velox). — An 
adult  male,  taken  at  Otter  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  20. 

AMERICAN  GOSHAWK  (Astur  atricapillus  atri- 
capillus). — A  female,  and  set  of  three  eggs,  taken 
on  Beaver  River,  May  16.  Nest  described  in 
Chapter  II. 

[WESTERN  RED-TAILED  HAWK  ?  (Butes  borealis 
calurus)]. — Observed  single  bird,  Beaver  River, 
May  16,  21  ;  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  13.  One  observed  chasing 
a  Spotted  Sandpiper,  Island  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  26. 

BROAD- WINGED  HAWK  (Butes  platypterus). — 
Three  specimens :  a  melanotic  male,  Crooked 
River,  May  14,  is  chocolate  brown  except  for  the 
tail-bars,  which  are  normal ;  a  male  taken  in 
same  locality  on  May  15,  and  a  female  taken  on 
Beaver  River,  May  16. 

[GOLDEN  EAGLE?  (Aquila  chrysaetos ?)]. — Ob- 
served two  dark  eagles  (?),  which  appeared  to 
be  this  species,  over  Black  Bear  Island  Lake, 


240      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Churchill  River,  June  13.  One  observed  Trout 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  16.  One  observed 
Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  25.  One  also 
at  mouth  of  Reindeer  River,  June  27,  28. 

NORTHERN  BALD  EAGLE  (Haliceetus  leucoce- 
phalus  alascanus). — An  adult  and  three  downy 
young  taken  :  the  first  a  male  taken  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  12 ;  the  downy  young 
taken  on  Reindeer  Lake,  two  on  July  7  and  one 
on  July  10 ;  these  are  marked :  "  Iris  dark 
umber-brown  ;  bill  dark  horn  colour ;  cere  slightly 
more  light  brown ;  corner  of  mouth  pale  whitish 
yellow ;  legs  and  feet  pale  whitish  yellow."  Nest 
of  the  first  young  was  at  the  top  of  a  spruce  tree, 
which  stood  about  twenty-five  feet  high  in  thick 
forest  on  an  island  of  high,  rocky  elevation.  The 
large  nest  was  constructed  with  dead  twigs  of 
many  sorts  and  sizes,  and  was  lined  with  moss, 
grass,  and  feathers. 

Nest  found  containing  one  young  bird,  six  to 
ten  days  old.  Shell  of  egg  was  white.  Nest  on 
top  of  dead  spruce  tree  on  a  prominent  point  of 
land  on  shore,  Knee  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  5. 

Three  observed  Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  13.  One  observed  lower 
reaches  Cochrane  River,  July  18.  One  observed 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  September  4. 

HAWK  ?  Duck  Hawk,  or  possibly  [GYRFALCON  ? 
(Falco  rusticolus  subsp. ?)] . — Iiwas  greatly  surprised 
in  full  winter  to  observe  a  fairly  large  Hawk  (?) 
giving  chase  to  Spruce  Grouse  near  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  December  15.  Again  observed  same 
species  of  Hawk  (?)  flying  across  a  lake  in  same 


BIRDS  241 

locality,  December  24.  On  December  28,  on 
Reindeer  Lake,  I  noted :  "  Saw  hawk  again 
to-day  and  almost  got  within  gunshot ;  believe 
it  to  be  Gyrfalcon."  On  Cumberland  Lake 
observed  two  winter-hawks :  greyish  white  under- 
parts,  speckled  probably  lightly ;  clear  black 
spot  on  ear  coverts ;  upper  parts  dark ;  tail 
longish ;  bird  large,  would  say  about  twenty 
inches,  January  9,  1915.  Possibly  those  latter 
were  Goshawks  ? 

PIGEON  HAWK  (Folco  columbarius  colunibarius}. 
— Seven  specimens.  An  adult  female  (two 
other  birds  seen),  Reindeer  Lake,  July  13.  A 
female  in  company  with  four  or  five  almost  fully 
fledged  young,  three  of  which  were  taken,  Lake 
Du  Brochet,  August  3  ;  the  young  have  the  wings 
and  tail  not  fully  grown,  and  traces  of  down  on 
the  head ;  the  old  bird  is  in  very  worn  plumage 
with  one  fresh  blue  tail  feather,  but  showing  no 
other  sign  of  the  blue  plumage.  Two  fully  fledged 
young  birds  (two  others  seen),  Lake  Du  Brochet, 
August  7. 

Observed  on  Lake  Du  Brochet  on  August  8, 11. 

[SPARROW  HAWK  (Falco  sparverius  sparve- 
rius)]. — Female  observed  Big  River,  May  10. 

AMERICAN  OSPREY  (Pandion  halliaetus  caroli- 
nensis). — Three  specimens.  A  female,  Crooked 
Lake,  May  13.  A  male  taken  at  nest, 
Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  May  25  ;  "  nest  containing 
single  egg  on  very  top  of  broken-off  dead  Jack 
Pine,  nest  mainly  built  of  dry  twigs,  inside  thickly 
lined  with  damp  mud,  grass,  and  moss ;  fish 
scales  on  edge  of  nest ;  the  male  bird  was  bring- 
ing both  talons  full  of  damp  moss  to  nest  when 


242      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

shot."     A  female  taken  with  nest  and  two  eggs, 
Knee  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  6. 

Found  nest  of  this  species  on  Sandy  Lake,  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  10.  Female  on  nest, 
but  did  not  disturb  her. 

One  observed  at  narrows  entering  into  Key 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  24.  Observed  south 
end,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4.  Single  bird  observed 
Cochrane  River,  July  20,  21.  One  observed 
carrying  a  fish  lengthwise,  parallel  to  the  body 
and  head  facing  onwards,  Lu  Brochet  Lake, 
Cochrane  River,  August  11.  One  observed  near 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  September  2. 

[GREAT  HORNED  OWL  (Bubo  virginianus 
subsp.  ?)]. — Nest  found  on  Crooked  River,  May  15, 
containing  two  downy  half -grown  young  ;  one  a 
beautiful  buff-cream  colour,  the  other  more  grey. 
Adult  female  on  nest  when  found.  Nest  not 
large  in  comparison  with  size  of  bird,  and  situated 
in  strong  fork  of  Black  Poplar  tree ;  tree  not 
yet  in  leaf.  Nest  composed  of  dead  poplar  and 
lichen-grown  spruce  twigs,  and  lined  with  rabbits' 
hair.  Noted  on  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake  on  May  25, 
that  have  not  heard  any  Great  Horned  Owls 
calling  at  night  in  this  locality.  Previously  had 
heard  them  every  night.  On  reaching  north  end 
of  this  lake  this  species  was  again  heard  on  May  29. 

AMERICAN  HAWK  OWL  (Surnia  ulula  capa- 
roch). — A  male  taken  on  Lake  Du  Brochet, 
August  1. 

[BELTED  KINGFISHER  (Ceryle  alcyon)]. — First 
pair  observed  on  Beaver  River,  May  16;  few  pair 
Beaver  River,  May  19.  Observed  Churchill  River, 
June  1,  in  neighbourhood  of  Shagwenaw  Lake. 


BIRDS  243 

One  observed  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June,  3.  Few  observed  below  Knee  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  6 ;  also  above  Sandy 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  8. 

Nest  found  in  hole  at  the  top  of  a  rocky  bank  of 
about  twelve  feet  elevation.  Nest  situated  about 
ten  feet  above  shore.  Straight  tunnel  in,  then 
the  nest  in  a  slight  hollow  2  ft.  6  in.  from  the 
entrance ;  nest  unlined,  except  with  a  few  small 
fish-bones,  and  contained  six  young  about  eight 
days  old.  Foot  of  Grand  Rapids,  Churchill 
River,  June  25.  Note  on  Cochrane  River  on 
July  23  that  none  of  this  species  now  seen. 
Single  specimen  observed  near  Fort  Du  Brochet 
on  September  22. 

[NORTHERN  HAIRY  WOODPECKER  (Dryvbates 
villosus  subsp.?)]. — Found  nest  containing  three 
young  almost  fully  fledged  on  green  poplar  tree 
on  island  above  last  rapid,  above  Black  Bear 
Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  12. 

ARCTIC  THREE-TOED  WOODPECKER  (Picoides 
arcticus). — An  adult  male  taken  on  the  Cochrane 
River,  July  31  ;  yellow  crest  much  worn,  exposing 
the  white  bases  of  the  feathers. 

ALASKAN  THREE-TOED  WOODPECKER  (Picoides 
americanus  fasciatus). — An  adult  female,  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  October  22. 

YELLOW-BELLIED  SAPSUCKER  (Sphyrapicus  va- 
rius  varius). — Two  males  taken  at  Big  River  on 
May  7,  11. 

Nest  found  containing  young  in  hole  in  green 
poplar  tree.  Hole  about  eight  feet  up,  and 
facing  south-east.  Did  not  disturb  nest  j-  below 
Key  Falls,  Churchill  River,  June  25.  Believe 


244       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

one  specimen  seen  Cochrane  River,  July  23 ; 
but  identity  not  absolutely  certain. 

BOREAL  FLICKER  (Colaptes  auratus  borealis). — 
One  female  Cochrane  River,  July  31,  the  male 
seen.  There  is  another  adult  female  in  the  W.  S. 
National  Museum,  taken  at  Lake  Du  Brochet, 
September  26,  1890.  This  form  is  included  in 
the  range  of  luteus  in  the  A.  O.  W.  Check  List. 

[FLICKER.  GOLDEN- WINGED  WOODPECKER  (Co- 
laptes auratus  subsp.  ?)]. — Observed  at  Big  River, 
May  7.  Pair  mating,  Big  River,  May  9.  Manner 
of  courtship  :  they  sit  side  by  side  on  tree-trunk 
and  at  intervals  gesticulate  with  their  heads, 
thrusting  them  up  and  down,  and  softly  emitting 
"  Thuca,  Thuca,  Thuca,"  Then  they  pause  for 
an  interval  and  are  motionless  except  that  their 
eyes  roll  rapidly  and  show  white  by  the  glint  of 
the  overhead  sun.  The  male  Flicker  shows  more 
golden  yellow  under  the  wings  when  in  flight. 

Species  numerous,  Beaver  River,  May  19. 

Observed  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  4. 
Numerous  Sandy  Lake  neighbourhood,  Churchill 
River,  June  10. 

Found  nest  containing  ten  eggs  in  green  poplar 
tree,  nest  about  ten  feet  up  tree-trunk,  Churchill 
River,  June  11. 

Nest  found  on  top  of  dead  birch-stump,  at 
elevation  of  about  fifteen  feet,  on  Trout  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  17  ;  nest  not  disturbed. 
Observed  below  Frog  Portage  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  27 ;  Reindeer  River,  June  29 ; 
south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4. 

Found  nest  containing  well-fledged  young  on 
shore  of  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10.  Did  not  dis- 


BIRDS  245 

turb  nest.     Not  many  Flickers  observed  in  this 
neighbourhood. 

Observed  Fort  Du  Brochet,  July  17  ;  Cochrane 
River,  July  18,  25  ;  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  2. 

Possibly  some  of  the  birds  observed  north  of 
the  Churchill  River  were  the  Boreal  Flicker 
(Colaptes  auratus  borealis),  but  this  I  could  not 
decide  merely  by  observation. 

[NIGHTHAWK  (Chordeiks  mrginianus  subsp.?}]. — 
Observed  at  Stanley  Mission,  June  23,  where  I 
noted  that  they  had  been  commonly  seen  along 
the  entire  route  to  that  point  on  the  Churchill. 
Observed  mouth  of  Reindeer  River,  June  27,  28. 
Single  bird  observed  Reindeer  Lake,  July  9 — 
previously  a  most  common  bird.  Observed  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  July  16.  About  a  dozen  seen, 
Cochrane  River,  July  18.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  24,  25,  26,  28  ;  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  6,  8.  Note  that  this  species  feed  through 
the  day  after  a  bad  storm,  probably  through  said 
storm  hindering  them  from  feeding  properly  at 
evening  and  morning  as  usual ;  also  they  feed 
in  the  daytime  when  the  atmosphere  is  very  close 
and  still  before  rain.  Observed  Cochrane  River, 
on  return  journey,  August  13,  15. 

[KINGBIRD  (Tyrannus  tyrannus)'}. — Observed 
above  Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  25. 

PIICEBE  (Sayornis  phcebe). — A  male  taken  on 
Reindeer  River,  June  30. 

Nest  containing  five  eggs  well  incubated  found 
in  false  bay  above  Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  11.  One  observed  Reindeer  River, 
June  27. 

OLIVE-SIDED    FLYCATCHER  (Nuttallornis  bore- 


246       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

alis). — Two  males  taken  on  Lake  He  a  la  Crosse, 
May  27,  28. 

Observed  on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  9. 

ALDER  FLYCATCHER  (Empidonax  trailli  alno- 
rum). — Three  specimens :  a  male,  Churchill 
River,  June  6  ;  two  from  the  Cochrane  River, 
July  27,  28,  the  latter  a  female ;  all  taken  in 
willows  at  edge  of  marsh. 

Observed  below  Du  Brochet  Lake,  Cochrane 
River,  July  29. 

LEAST  FLYCATCHER  (Empidonax  minimus).— 
A  female  taken  on  Lake  He  a  la  Crosse,  May  29, 
and  a  male,  Reindeer  River,  June  28. 

Identified  certainly  on  Reindeer  River,  June  29, 
but  have  heard  those  birds  singing  in  the  forests 
for  the  past  month,  and  now  know  to  whom  the 
sweet,  clear  song  belongs. 

[HORNED  LARK  (Otosoris  alpestris  subsp.?)~\. — 
Observed  Big  River,  May  10  ;  south  end  He  a  la 
Crosse  Lake,  May  23.  Noted  at  Fort  Du  Brochet 
on  September  18  that  numbers  have  passed 
south  during  the  stormy  broken  weather  of  the 
last  three  days.  Flocks  observed,  restlessly  cheep- 
ing and  flighting  close  to  the  ground,  near  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  September  22.  Observed  north  of 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  September  25. 

CANADA  jAY(Perisoreus  canadensis  canadensis). 
—One  immature  bird,  taken  in  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  11,  is  somewhat  difficult  to  place.  It 
compares  Well  with  one  of  about  the  same  age 
from  forty  miles  south-west  of  Calgary,  Alberta, 
August  4,  1895  ;  and  is  not  so  dark  above  as  a 
younger  bird  from  near  Latchford,  Ontario, 


BIRDS  247 

June  10,  1906.  Preble  refers  to  a  breeding  bird 
from  Pelican  Narrows,  Churchill  River,  in  the 
W.  S.  National  Museum,1  and  in  fact  Reindeer 
Lake  is  well  within  the  known  range  of  cana- 
densis. 

Observed  south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4  ; 
Sucker  Bay,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  6  ;  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  July  17  ;  lower  reaches  of  the  Cochrane 
River,  July  20,  21,  23,  24.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  27,  29, 30,  31 .  There  is  an  inland  lake, 
some  twenty  to  twenty-five  miles  long,  west  of 
Cochrane  River,  named  by  the  Indians  Wiskajon 2 
Lake.  This  neighbourhood  appears  to  be  their 
regular  habitat.  Observed  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  6,  8  ;  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  11 ;  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  September 
26  and  November  5. 

The  Northern  Shrike  is  called  by  the  Indians 
the  "  White  Wiskajon,"  and  certainly  its  light 
flight  among  thickets  resembles  that  of  the  true 
Wiskajon. 

NORTHERN  RAVEN  (Corvus  cor  ax  principalis). — 
Five  specimens  :  three  from  Churchill  River,  a 
young  bird  taken  when  just  fledged  and  flown 
from  the  nest  above  Pelican  Rapids,  June  2; 
an  adult  female  below  Great  Devil  Rapids, 
June  18 ;  and  a  young  bird  fledged  ^nd  in  company 
with  parent  and  two  other  young,  Otter  Lake, 
June  20  ;  two  adult  males  taken  December  15, 
one  on  Lake  Du  Brochet,  the  other  on  Reindeer 
Lake. 

Found  nest  in  cleft  of  low  rock  cliffs  on  shore  of 

1  North  American  Fauna,  No.  27,  1908,  p.  402. 

2  Canada  Jay. 


248      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Pelican  Lake.  Six  partly  fledged  young  perched 
on  ledge  adjoining  ;  a  nest  found  two  days  ago 
was  in  fairly  high  poplar  tree,  Churchill  River, 
June  4.  One  observed  below  Knee  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  6.  One  pair  observed 
Black  Bear  Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  13.  One  observed  Island  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  26.  Observed  south  end  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  4.  Four  observed  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  8.  Two  observed  lower  reaches  Cochrane 
River,  July  18.  One  observed  Cochrane  River, 
July  21,  23 ;  observed  July  24.  Few  observed 
below  Du  Brochet  Lake,  Cochrane  River, 
July  30,  31.  Observed  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  2,  5 ;  Cochrane  River,  below  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  August  14.  Two  observed  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  September  4.  Number  of  Ravens 
observed  following  the  southward  migration  of 
Caribou  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  November  5,  8, 
after  the  manner  of  Vultures.  They  sometimes 
voice  brief  musical  calls  from  the  depth  of  their 
throat :  p-r-r-o-o  uttered  singly,  and  repeated 
at  longish  intervals  ;  and  err  ...  err. 

One  observed  Theitaga  Lake  near  latitude  60° 
on  November  28,  probably  following  Caribou. 
One  taken  near  Fort  Du  Brochet,  December  14. 
Those  birds  appear  to  remain  in  vicinity  of  the 
Caribou  herds  all  though  winter. 

CROW  (Corvus  brachyrhynchos  subsp.  ?). — An 
immature  female  taken  on  the  Reindeer  River, 
June  29 ;  this  bird  compares  well  with  a  breeding 
female  from  Craven,  Saskatchewan,  much  better 
than  it  does  with  Ontario  birds,  and  may  better 
be  placed  with  the  Western  Crow  (C.  b.  hesperis), 


BIRDS  249 

but  owing  to  lack  of  material  of  comparable  age 
I  hesitate  to  do  so. 

Observed  Big  River,  Sask.,  May  7,  9.  Large 
number  nesting  in  wood  at  back  of  He  a  la  Crosse 
Post,  May  22.  Noted  June  2  that  I  see  crows 
every  day  :  at  that  date  entering  Churchill  River 
from  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake.  Numerous  in  neighbour- 
hood of  mouth  of  Haultain  River  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  6. 

Observed  above  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  8.  Numerous  Sandy  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  10.  Observed  Sandfly 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  12.  Few  observed 
Otter  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  20.  Crows  at 
Stanley  Mission,  June  23.  Observed  neighbour- 
hood Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  25 ; 
Reindeer  River,  June  29,  30,  but  not  so  commonly 
seen  during  the  last  two  days.  Observed  Rein- 
deer Lake,  July  11.  Observed  in  neighbourhood 
of  deserted  teepees  on  the  Cochrane  River, 
July  27 :  this  species  not  seen  for  some  time. 
Observed  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  8. 

YELLOW-HEADED  BLACKBIRD  (Xanthocephalus 
xanthocephalus). — Specimen  taken  at  mouth  of 
Mudjatick  River,  Churchill  River,  June  2.  First 
of  this  species  seen  this  year. 

Breeding  haunts  encountered  in  marsh  at 
entrance  to  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  3. 

[RED-WINGED  BLACKBIRD  (Agelaius  phceniceus 
subsp.  ?)]. — Observed  Big  River,  May  9;  Beaver 
River,  May  21  ;  inland  lake  on  east  shore  at 
north  end  of  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  30  ;  Pelican 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  2.  Nest  with  three 


250      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

eggs  found  on  Churchill  River,  below  mouth  of 
Haultain  River,  June  6.  Observed  in  marsh 
above  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  8. 
Number  observed  neighbourhood  Island  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  25. 

RUSTY  BLACKBIRD  (Euphagus  carolinus). — 
Three  specimens  from  Lake  Du  Brochet,  August  7 : 
an  adult  male,  "  iris  clear  yellowish  white  "  ; 
an  immature  (female  ?),  "  iris  medium  clear  umber- 
brown  " ;  and  an  immature  male,  "  iris  pale 
sage-green." 

Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  21 ;  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  6.  Observed  during  first  two 
weeks  in  September  at  Fort  Du  Brochet,  feeding 
apparently  chiefly  on  ground  cranberries  and 
bilberries. 

[BREWER'S  BLACKBIRD  (Euphagus  cyanoce- 
phalus )] .  — Numerous  at  Big  River,  May  7 .  Two  pair 
observed  Cochrane  River,  July  19,  20.  Observed 
Cochrane  River,  July  26.  Observed  a  bird  with 
food  in  bill  for  young,  July  27.  Observed  July 
28,  29,  30,  below  Du  Brochet  Lake. 

[BRONZED  CRACKLE  (Quiscalus  guiscula  ceneus)]. 
—Numerous  at  Big  River,  May  7.  Observed 
Beaver  River,  May  21.  One  pair  observed  on 
inland  lake  east  shore  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  30  ;  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  3. 
Observed  on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  9, 10 ;  Sandfly  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  12. 
Number  observed  neighbourhood  Island  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  25,  26. 

[PiNE  GROSBEAK  ?  (Pinicola  enucleator  subsp.  ?  )] . 
—Observed  bird  which  I  thought  was  this  species 
on  the  Cochrane  River,,  July  25. 


BIRDS  251 

PURPLE  FINCH  (Carpodacus  purpureus  pur- 
pur  eus). — Two  adult  males  taken  on  Big  River, 
May  9  ;  a  female  seen  with  them. 

(Observed  some  wild  flocks  of  finches  flying 
over  the  forest  which  I  think  were  this  species, 
Cochrane  River,  July  21.  There  is  just  a  possi- 
bility of  confusing  them  with  Grosbeaks  or  Cross- 
bills, so  this  note  is  given  with  reservation). 

REDPOLL  (Acanthis  linaria  linaria). — Three 
specimens  :  an  adult  male  with  rosy  breast,  Coch- 
rane River,  July  21,  "  bird  in  company  with  one 
young,  bill  dark  brownish,"  two  males,  an  adult 
and  young,  Lake  Du  Brochet,  August  10,  "  bill 
flat  black  "  in  the  young. 

Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  23,  24,  28, 
29,  30,  below  Du  Brochet  Lake.  Great  many 
observed  in  flocks  feeding  on  birch  catkins, 
Cochrane  River,  below  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August 
13,  14.  Observed  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
October  25,  those  birds  feed  on  small  shoots  of 
the  tamarack  tree  (American  larch)  in  late  Fall, 
though  at  earlier  date  birch  catkins  appear  to  be 
their  general  and  favourite  food.  This  species 
still  commonly  seen,  and  heard  giving  voice  to 
their  small  companionable  twitter,  north  of  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  November  7.  Observed  Theitaga- 
Tua  (Lake)  near  latitude  60°,  November  25. 
No  specimens  secured,  as  shot-gun  behind  at 
Du  Brochet. 

SNOW  BUNTING  (Pfec/r0p/mia#  nivalis  nivalis). — 
One  specimen  Reindeer  Lake,  October  23.  "  Large 
flocks  of  these  birds  for  the  past  fortnight." 

Single  bird — the  first  appearance  of  their 
migration  into  the  south — observed  Fort  Du 


252      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Brochet,  September  2.     Plentiful  north  of  Fort 
Du  Brochet  on  October  18,  19 ;   birds  migrating. 

Very  large  flocks  about  on  October  23 :  recorded 
still  plentiful  October  26 ;  noted  October  29. 
Three  observed  south  of  Cumberland  Lake, 
January  11,  and  noted  that  those  the  first 
observed  since  leaving  the  Far  North. 

[LAPLAND  LONGSPUR  (Calcarius  lapponicus  lap- 
ponicits)]. — Observed  single  specimen  south  end 
lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  22.  Large  numbers  of 
Longspurs  passing  in  migration ;  Lapland,  only 
species  certainly  identified,  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
September  18. 

[CHESTNUT- COLLARED  LONGSPUR  (Calcarius  or- 
natus)]. — Observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12. 

SAVANNAH  SPARROW  (Passerculus  sandwichensis 
subsp.). — Three  specimens  :  one  from  Lake  lie  a 
la  Crosse,  May  27 ;  an  adult  male  from  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  July  17  ;  and  a  juvenile  female,  Cochrane 
River,  July  28.  These  are  very  dark  birds,  much 
more  so  than  alaudinus  should  be,  and  very 
different  from  the  light  race  that  breeds  in  Southern 
Saskatchewan,  which  is  no  doubt  nevadensis. 

Observed  east  shore  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  30.  Observed  at  Stanley  Mission  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  23.  One  taken  from  talons 
of  Pigeon  Hawk  on  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  7. 
Observed  during  autumn  migration  at  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  September  18. 

LECONTE'S  SPARROW  (Passerherbulus  lecontei). 
• — Two  specimens  :  one  of  a  pair,  Churchill  River, 
June  2  ;  a  male,  Haultain  River,  June  6  ;  "  birds 
breeding  here." 

HARRIS'S    SPARROW    (Zonotrichia    querula). — 


BIRDS  253 

Seven  specimens.  An  adult  female  and  a  juvenile 
male,  Cochrane  River,  July  26  ;  an  adult  male, 
Cochrane  River,  July  30.  "  Male  and  female  with 
fledged  young,"  a  female,  and  young  bird,  Coch- 
rane River,  July  31  ;  a  female,  Cochrane  River, 
August  3,  "  bird  in  company  with  others,  pro- 
bably her  fully  fledged  young  " ;  an  adult  female, 
Lake  Du  Brochet,  August  6 — adult's  "  bill  dull 
sienna-brown,"  juveniles'  "  bill  blackish  brown, 
yellow  along  edges  of  mandibles  and  at  corners  of 
mouth."  So  little  is  known  of  the  early  plumage 
of  this  sparrow  that  a  description  of  the  young 
of  July  31  may  not  be  out  of  place  :  "  Length 
3*75  in.  ;  pileum  with  feathers  brownish  black, 
indistinctly  edged  with  greyish  buff,  producing 
a  dark  crown  with  a  few  greyish-buff  spots ; 
throat  and  chin  greyish  buff,  throat  with  a  few 
blackish-brown  spots;  chest  brownish  buff  streaked 
with  brownish  black ;  flanks  buff  with  brown 
streaks  ;  rest  of  under  parts  buffy  white.  Above 
brown  streaked  with  black,  upper  tail  coverts 
brownish  buff,  tail  darker  than  in  adult ;  wing 
coverts  tipped  with  buff. 

Three  observed  south  end  lie  &  la  Crosse  Lake, 
May  24.  Their  first  encountered  breeding  haunts 
were  found  on  the  Cochrane  River  about  latitude 
58°.  Country  fairly  mountainous,  and  the  hillside, 
which  the  birds  frequented,  was  bare  of  tall 
growth,  and  bouldered  and  thickly  strewn  with 
dead  timber — for  at  some  past  date  the  country- 
side had  been  swept  by  forest-fire.  Small  spruce 
and  scrub  pine,  of  a  height  of  two  feet  to  six  feet, 
grew  here  and  there,  while  willows,  tamarack, 
and  small  spruce  grew  somewhat  more  densely 
18 


254,      ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

along  the  margin  of  the  river  ;  thus  appeared 
the  breeding  haunt  of  the  Harris's  Sparrow, 
Cochrane  River,  July  26.  Observed  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  2  :  note  that  I  have  not  heard  this 
species  sing  :  they  have  a  loud,  sharp  alarm  chirp 
when  disturbed  near  young.  Adult  and  fledged 
young  observed  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  9. 
Observed  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  10. 

GAMBEL'S  SPARROW  (Zonotrichia  leucophrys 
Gambelii). — Three  specimens  :  an  adult  male  and 
a  juvenile  male,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  16  ;  and  a 
young  male,  Cochrane  River,  July  26. 

Observed  lie  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  24.  Ob- 
served Fort  Du  Brochet,  July  14  ;  and  noted  that 
birds  appear  to  be  nesting  there.  On  July  17 
noted  that  this  species  plentiful  in  neighbourhood 
of  Fort  Du  Brochet,  but  that  they  had  been 
nowhere  seen  in  their  breeding  haunts  until 
this  post  was  reached.  Observed  Cochrane  River, 
July  21,  28.  Observed  below  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  July  31. 

[WHITE-THROATED  SPARROW  (Zonotrichia  albi- 
collis)] . — Observed  Big  River,  May  10  ;  Crooked 
Lake,  May  13 ;  inland,  on  east  shore,  at  north 
end  of  He  a  la  Crosse  Lake,  May  30.  Noted  on 
June  2  that  this  species  are  encountered  every 
day,  at  that  date  had  entered  the  Churchill 
River.  Observed  below  Dead  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  18,  and  noted  that  this  species  had 
not  been  seen  for  some  days.  Number  singing 
at  daybreak  at  Stanley  Mission,  June  24.  Ob- 
served south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4  ;  and 
on  Reindeer  Lake,  July  7. 

TREE  SPARROW  (Spizella  monticola  monticola). 


BIRDS  255 

— A  male  taken  on  Reindeer  Lake,  July  11  ; 
"  two  pairs  breeding  on  an  island,  first  of  this 
species  seen  on  this  expedition."  A  female,  Fort 
Du  Brochet,  July  17  ;  "  bird  had  young  almost 
fully  fledged." 

Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  20,  21,  23  ; 
and  again  on  July  26.  Noted  that  this  species 
appears  to  breed  numerously  below  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  Cochrane  River,  July  29,  81.  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  1,  2,  6,  9.  Observed  as  late  as 
September  26  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet. 

CHIPPING  SPARROW  (Spizella  passerina  passe- 
rind). — A  male  taken  on  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse, 
May  27. 

Observed  on  inland  lake  on  east  shore  lie  a 
la  Crosse  Lake,  May  30.  Nest  with  four  eggs 
found  on  shore  of  inland  lake,  May  31  ;  bird 
secured.  Observed  Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  4.  Nest  containing  one  egg  found  on  island 
on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  11. 
Single  specimen  observed  above  Trout  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  15,  also  on  Dead  Lake 
Churchill  River,  June  13.  Those  birds  always 
seen  in  neighbourhood  of,  or  on,  spruce  trees. 

Few  observed  on  Rapid  River  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  24.  Observed  below  Frog 
Portage,  Churchill  River,  June  27.  Very  plenti- 
ful, Reindeer  River,  June  30,  and  at  south  end 
of  Reindeer  Lake,  July  3.  Observed  Sucker  Bay, 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  6  ;  Reindeer  Lake,  July  7. 
Observed  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  3  ;  previously 
this  species  not  seen  for  some  time. 

[SLATE  COLOURED  JUNCO  (Junco  hyemalis  hye- 
amlis)}. — Observed  at  Canford,  Sask.,  May  6.  Nu- 


256      ANIMALS  AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

merous  at  Big  River,  May  7.  Observed  one  pair 
Otter  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  20.  Observed 
Reindeer  Lake,  June  29,  and  at  south  end  of 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  3.  Observed  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  6,  7,  9.  Common  on  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10. 
Observed  Cochrane  River,  July  19,  21,  24,  28  ; 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  3,  6,  8.  Number 
observed,  as  if  beginning  migration  south,  at 
Fort  Du  Brochet,  September  2.  Few  still  near 
the  Fort  on  September  18,  22.  Observed  as 
late  as  September  30  north  of  Fort  Du  Brochet. 

SONG  SPARROW  (Melospiza  melodia  melodia). — 
A  pair  taken  on  Reindeer  River,  June  28. 

Observed  Big  River,  May  10.  Fairly  plentiful 
on  lower  reaches  Beaver  River,  May  21.  Singing 
at  midnight  north-east  shore  He  a  la  Crosse 
Lake.  Noted  June  2,  when  entering  Churchill 
River,  that  this  species  seen  every  day.  Nest 
containing  five  eggs  found  in  tall  dry  hay-grass 
where  willows  grew  at  wide  intervals.  Nest 
lined  with  very  fine  grasses,  Churchill  River 
below  mouth  of  Mudjatick  River,  June  2.  Ob- 
served Pelican  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  4. 
Nest  containing  six  eggs  found  on  shore  of 
Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  12. 
Nest  containing  three  eggs  and  two  newly  hatched 
young  found  on  ground  among  grass  near  trees 
on  wooded  island  above  Trout  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  15.  Nest  containing  six  eggs  found 
in  grass  among  dead  tree-stumps  in  country 
burnt  by  forest  fire,  Trout  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  17.  A  number  observed  at  Stanley  Mission, 
June  23.  Song  Sparrows  often  heard  singing  on 
small  almost  bare  islands,  and  they  are  the  only 


BIRDS  257 

small  birds  that  appear  to  inhabit  such  a  place, 
Churchill  River,  June  25.  Observed  below  Frog 
Portage,  Churchill  River,  June  27  ;  south  end  of 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  3,  4 ;  Reindeer  Lake,  July  7, 
11.  Note  that  no  Song  Sparrows  Cochrane  River, 
July  23. 

LINCOLN'S  SPARROW  (Melospiza  lincolni  lin- 
colni). — A  male  taken  on  Reindeer  River,  June  29. 

SWAMP  SPARROW  (Melospiza  georgiana). — A 
male  taken  below  mouth  of  Haultain  River, 
Churchill  River,  June  6.  "  Small  colony  of  these 
birds  breeding  in  this  place." 

Observed  at  Big  River,  May  7. 

Fox  SPARROW  (Passerella  iliaca  iliaca). — Four 
specimens  ;  all  males  :  one  Reindeer  Lake,  July 
11  ;  three  Cochrane  River,  July  18,  24  and 
August  3  ;  the  first  bird  seen  was  carrying  food 
to  its  fledged  young.  Fledged  young  taken,  but 
specimen  too  much  damaged  to  make  a  skin  of. 

Observed  Reindeer  Lake,  July  13  ;  Fort  Du 
Brochet,  July  17 ;  Cochrane  River,  July  19,  20, 
21,  28  ;  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  1  ;  north  end 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  10. 

[HOUSE  SPARROW  (Passer  domesticus)]. — Those 
were  at  Big  River  Town-site,  and  even  as  far 
afield  as  lie  a  la  Crosse  Post.  To  an  extraordinary 
extent  those  birds  have  spread  since  first  im- 
ported to  America. 

CLIFF  SWALLOW  (Petrochelidon  lunifrons  luni- 
frons). — Two  females  taken  on  Sandy  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  9  ;  a  pair,  Cochrane  River, 
August  6 ;  fully  fledged  young  in  company  with 
these  last.  Those  latter  were  the  first  of  this 
species  to  be  observed  since  leaving  Sandy  Lake. 


258      ANIMALS  AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

THEE  SWALLOW  (Iridoprocne  bicolor). — Two 
specimens  :  a  female,  Crooked  River,  May  15  ;  a 
young  male,  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  6.  Two 
sets  of  eggs  taken  on  Sandy  Lake  on  the 
Churchill  River,  June  11,  nests  in  old  woodpecker- 
holes  in  dead  poplars. 

Observed  Crooked  Lake,  May  12  ;  Pelican  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  4.  Numerous  in  Knee 
Lake  neighbourhood  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  6.  Observed  on  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  9,  10,  11.  Numerous  at  Stanley 
Mission  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  23.  Ob- 
served one  near  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  7  ;  the  first  of  this  species  encountered  for 
some  time.  One  pair  observed  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
July  17. 

BANK  SWALLOW  (Riparia  riparia). — A  male 
taken  on  Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  9. 

Colony  of  this  species  nesting  on  sand-bank  at 
the  river-edge.  Many  young  flown  from  nests, 
and  in  the  air  with  their  parents.  The  nesting- 
holes  were  at  both  high  and  low  elevation  in  a 
steep  sloping  bank  of  some  twenty  feet.  Opened 
one  cavity,  from  which  a  swallow  flew  out,  and 
found  the  nest  at  the  end  of  a  2  ft.  6  in.  tunnel, 
containing  three  eggs — all  of  which  were  addled. 
Birds  flew  out  of  many  holes,  and  therein  were 
probably  nests  of  young  or  a  second  comple- 
ment of  eggs. 

BOHEMIAN  WAXWING  (Bombydlla  garrula). — 
Two  specimens  from  Cochrane  River  :  a  juvenile 
male  taken  July  28,  "  iris  dark — not  reddish 
brown  like  adult  " ;  an  adult  female,  July  30. 

Observed   Cochrane   River,   July  18,   19,   and 


BIRDS  259 

noted  that  they  appear  to  be  breeding  here. 
Numbers  observed  Cochrane  River  below  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  July  29. 

CEDAR  "WAXWING  (Bomby cilia  cedrorum). — A 
male  taken  on  Key  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June 
25.  Female  taken  also,  and  dissection  proved 
it  to  be  in  breeding  condition. 

Adult  bird  was  taken  from  stomach  of  a 
pike  weighing  3j  Ibs.,  caught  on  Island  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  25. 

NORTHERN  SHRIKE  (Lanius  borealis). — A  male 
taken  on  the  Cochrane  River,  October  19. 

A  young  bird  observed  below  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
Cochrane  River,  July  31.  This  species  is  called 
the  "White  Wiskajon  "  by  the  Indians,  and  in 
light  flight  through  thickets  the  bird  certainly 
closely  resembles  the  Canada  Jay  at  times. 

RED-EYED  VIREO  (Vireosylva  olivacea). — A  male 
taken  at  Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  17. 

Secured  one  specimen  above  Sandy  Lake  on 
the  Churchill  River,  June  8.  Observed  above 
Island  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  25,  26. 
Observed  below  Frog  Portage  on  the  Churchill 
River,  June  27,  and  at  south  end  of  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  3. 

BLUE-HEADED  VIREO  (Lanivireo  solitarius  soli- 
tarius). — A  male  taken  at  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse, 
May  28. 

BLACK  AND  WHITE  WARBLER  (Mniotilta  varia). 
— A  male  taken  on  Beaver  River,  May  17. 

TENNESSEE  WARBLER  (Vermivora  peregrina). — 
Three  males  taken :  two  from  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse, 
May  27  and  June  2  ;  one  from  Dead  Lake, 
Churchill  River,  June  17. 


260      ANIMALS  AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Observed  on  Rapid  River  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  24.  Note  that  at  this  point  bird-life  is 
disappointingly  scarce.  Observed  below  Frog 
Portage  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  27,  and  on 
Reindeer  River,  June  28,  29.  Noted  as  being 
very  plentiful,  Reindeer  River,  June  30. 

YELLOW  WARBLER  (Dendroica  cestiva  cestiva). 
— Two  males  taken:  one  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse, 
May  27  ;  the  other  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4  ;  this 
latter  is  only  a  little  more  worn  than  the  May  bird. 

Observed  Sandfly  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  11.  One  specimen  observed  above  Trout 
Lake  on  the  Churchill  River,  June  15  ;  also  on 
Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  17.  Few 
observed  Island  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  25, 
26.  Observed  Churchill  River,  June  27 ;  Rein- 
deer River,  June  28  ;  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  3  ;  Reindeer  Lake,  July  11  ;  Fort  Du  Bro- 
chet,  July  17 ;  Cochrane  River,  July  28  ;  Du 
Brochet  Lake,  August  1  ;  when  noted  that  this 
species  is  very  scarce  now.  Observed  north  end 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  10. 

MYRTLE  WARBLER  (Dendroica  coronata). — 
Three  specimens :  two  adult  males  from  Big 
River,  May  7,  8 ;  a  juvenile,  Cochrane  River, 
July  27.  Hoover's  Warbler  (D.  c.  hooveri),  has 
recently  been  revived  by  Dr.  Oberholster,  and 
the  range  of  this  western  race  of  the  Myrtle 
Warbler  is  given  as  reaching  east  to  Central 
Mackenzie,  but  the  adult  taken  May  8,  which  I 
have  been  able  to  compare  with  series  of  both 
the  supposed  races,  is  nearer  to  coronata. 

Observed  female  in  neighbourhood  of  her  nest, 
but  prolonged  search  failed  to  find  its  hiding- 


BIRDS  261 

place  in  the  spruce  trees,  Churchill  River,  June  27. 
Nest  found  in  spruce  tree  situated  against  main 
trunk  about  12  feet  above  the  ground  and  con- 
tained five  young  about  two  weeks  old,  Reindeer 
River,  June  29.  Observed  commonly  south  end 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  3,  4.  Observed  Sucker  Bay, 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  6.  Reindeer  Lake,  July  7. 
Commonly  seen  on  Reindeer  Lake,  July  10. 
Observed  July  11,  13.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  19,  21,  28 ;  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  1,  3 ;  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake, 
August  12. 

BLACK-POLL  'WARBLER  (Dendroica  striata). — 
A  male  taken  on  Beaver  River,  May  18. 

One  observed  south  end  Reindeer  Lake,  July  4, 
and  on  Cochrane  River,  July  26.  One  observed 
Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  3,  carrying  insects  in 
bill  for  young.  Observed  inland  from  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  5. 

PALM  WARBLER  (Dendroica  palmarum  palm- 
arum). — A  male  taken  on  Beaver  River,  May  18. 

WATER-THRUSH  (Seiurus  noveboracensis  nove- 
boracensis). — Three  specimens  :  a  female,  Beaver 
River,  May  20 ;  a  male,  Knee  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  6  ;  and  a  female,  Reindeer  River, 
June  28  ;  these  are  close  to  Grinnell's  Water- 
Thrush  (S.  n.  notabilis),  in  colour. 

Observed  Reindeer  River,  June  29.  One  taken 
Reindeer  Lake,  July  10.  Observed  Cochrane 
River,  July  23,  24,  26,  27,  and  on  July  29,  31, 
below  Du  Brochet  Lake ;  observed  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  1,  6,  8.  Note  that  this  species  is 
common  on  Cochrane  River,  and  that  they  feed 
along  the  water's  edge  like  a  Pipit  or  Wagtail 


262       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

— sometimes  they  make  short  rising  flights,  of 
some  10  to  15  feet,  into  the  air  in  pursuit  of  insects. 
Observed  north  end  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  11. 
WILSON'S  WARBLER  (Wilsonia  pusilla  pusilla). 
—A  male  taken  at  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  May  26. 

[REDSTART   (Setophaga    ruticilla)]. —  One    ob- 
served Beaver  River,  May  19. 

[TREE  CREEPER  (Certhia,  familiaris  americana)]. 
— Observed  Big  River,  May  10. 

RED-BREASTED  NUTHATCH    (Sitta  canadensis). 
— A  male  taken  at  Lake  lie  a  la  Crosse,  May  25. 

One  observed  in  winter  south  of  Cumberland 
Lake  on  January  11. 

[CHICKADEE  (Penihestes  atricapillus  subsp.  ?)].— 
Observed  below  Dead  Lake,  Churchill  River, 
June  18.  Observed  a  pair  with  a  family  of  fully 
fledged  young  on  Rapid  River  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  24.  Observed  south  end  of  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  3. 

HUDSONIAN  CHICKADEE  (Penihestes  hudsonicus 
hudsonicus). — Three  specimens  :  a  pair  taken  at 
Big  River,  May  8  ;  and  a  young  bird,  Cochrane 
River,  July  24.  This  last  is  interesting,  though 
full  grown  (length  5  inches)  the  pileum  instead  of 
being  soft  greyish  brown,  is  blackish  brown,  form- 
ing a  distinct  cap,  while  the  hind  neck  and  back 
are  brownish  grey. 

Observed  south  end  of  Reindeer  Lake,  July  3  ; 
few  observed,  Du  Brochet  Lake,  August  3. 

RUBY-CROWNED  KINGLET  (Regulus  calendula 
calendula). — Three  specimens :  a  male,  Lake 
He  a  la  Crosse,  May  28  ;  a  female  taken  with 
nest  containing  young,  Churchill  River,  July  3  ; 
and  a  male  taken  Reindeer  Lake,  July  9.  The 


BIRDS  263 

nest  taken  July  3  is  described  as  follows  :  "  nest 
in  young  spruce  tree  about  ten  feet  high,  nest 
against  limb  and  about  eight  feet  up.  Nest  con- 
tained seven  young  about  fourteen  days  old." 

One  singing  in  spruce  tree  on  island  in  Trout 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  16.  Observed 
Sucker  Bay,  Reindeer  Lake,  July  6  ;  Reindeer 
Lake,  July  7.  Commonly  seen,  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  10,  11.  Observed  Fort  Du  Brochet,  July 
17  ;  Cochrane  River,  July  9,  24,  26 ;  Du  Brochet 
Lake,  August  2,  3;  Cochrane  River,  on  return 
journey,  August  15 ;  Fort  Du  Brochet,  Sep- 
tember 18. 

GREY-CHEEKED  THRUSH  (Hylocichla  alicice 
alicice). — Two  males  taken  :  Big  River,  May  11  ; 
Churchill  River,  June  18 — this  latter  is  in  very 
worn  plumage,  "  bird  in  company  with  mate." 

OLIVE-BACKED  THRUSH  (Hylocichla  ustulata 
swainsoni). — Two  males  taken  He  a  la  Crosse, 
May  25  ;  and  Black  Bear  Island  Lake,  Churchill 
River,  June  14. 

One  observed  near  mouth  of  Reindeer 
River,  June  23.  One  taken  on  Cochrane  River, 
July  26. 

HERMIT  THRUSH  (Hylocichla  guttata  pallasi). 
— A  male  taken  on  Beaver  River,  May  18. 

[AMERICAN  ROBIN  (Planeslicus  migratorius  mi- 
gratorius)].— Numerous  Big  River,  May  7.  Ob- 
served above  Sandy  Lake  on  the  Churchill  River, 
June  8,  singing  sweetly  near  camp.  Observed 
Sandy  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  10 ;  not 
numerous.  One  or  two  on  Black  Bear  Island 
Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  15.  Single  bird 
observed  Otter  Lake,  Churchill  River,  June  20. 


264       ANIMALS   AND   BIRDS   COLLECTED 

Three  or  four  pairs  observed  nesting  in  grove 
of  poplars,  Churchill  River,  above  Island  Lake, 
June  25.  Observed  one  pair,  Reindeer  Lake, 
July  10  ;  none  previously  seen  for  some  days. 
Observed  Fort  Du  Brochet,  July  16  ;  Cochrane 
River,  July  18  ;  Cochrane  River,  July  21. 
This  species  is  by  no  means  numerous  in  the  Far 
North  in  this  territory.  Observed  on  Cochrane 
River,  July  26.  Observed  a  number  of  Robins 
below  Du  Brochet  Lake  on  the  Cochrane  River, 
July  28. 

Numbers  appearing  about  Fort  Du  Brochet, 
September  2,  the  commencement  of  migrations 
south.  At  same  locality,  on  September  18,  I 
state  :  Many  robins  passed  about  two  weeks  ago  ; 
a  few  seen  here  still. 

Observed  near  Fort  Du  Brochet,  September 
22,  26,  30. 


Printed  by  Hatell,  Watson  &   Viney,  Ld.,  London  and  Ayleibury,  England. 


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